


The Beach House Blonde

by VaughnSky



Category: The 100 (TV), clexa - Fandom
Genre: Alternate Universe - Beach, Beach Holidays, Beach House, Clexa, F/F, Friendship/Love, Ice Cream, Jealousy, Mild Smut, Surfing, Walks On The Beach
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-10
Updated: 2021-02-18
Packaged: 2021-03-04 02:00:19
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 18
Words: 132,832
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24895792
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/VaughnSky/pseuds/VaughnSky
Summary: Lexa hadn't been the same since her parents died 5 months ago.Will a forced vacation to Polis beach with her uncle and cousin, help mend a broken heart?Or will a beautiful blonde local put the pieces back together...Simple summer time fluff!
Relationships: Clarke Griffin/Lexa
Comments: 483
Kudos: 545





	1. Welcome To Polis Beach

**Author's Note:**

> Just a little summer time story to keep my anxious brain busy! 
> 
> The caravans in the story are those big fancy ones and not the small trailer types. 
> 
> I hope you're all keeping safe! 💖
> 
> Tumblr - hernightsky

* * *

_ **The Beginning** _

* * *

The car was stuffy. The air conditioning had broken a few months back and there was no money spare to get it fixed right now. Lexa sat in the back seat with the window rolled down as far as it would go, hoping for a little passing breeze to hit her face and cool her down. No such luck, the summer had begun and the heat of the sun had taken full control over Polis. Unfortunately for Lexa, they were arriving on one of the hottest days of the year and without the relief of a gentle breeze, she was stuck feeling drowsy and stuffy, watching the motionless trees and protecting her eyes from the heavy sun with her hand shading her face as she rested her elbow on the cars window frame. 

This was her treat...a little pick me up, a ' sorry your parents died in a car crash and that you haven't been able to smile since.' Her uncle Gus' idea. Two months of summer cooped up in a hot, sweaty caravan in the beach town of Polis. He'd spent everything he had on this trip, his hours at the salt mine had been cut back, leaving them relying on Anya's paycheck from the restaurant she worked at four times a week. Gus had taken up fishing in his spare time, bringing back free meals and leaving a permanent smell of fish through out the house. 

Lexa had been against this trip from the start, saying it was stupid to spend their money on a vacation when they could put it to better use (like on fixing the cars air con!) But Gus had insisted. Lexa needed time a way from the constant reminders and Gustus couldn't remember the last vacation he and Anya had taken, Anya was tiny at the time.

It happened almost five months ago. Lexa's parents were on a business trip leaving Lexa to stay at her uncle's house with her cousin Anya. It wasn't the first time they had left her with them. Her parents were very busy people who traveled all over the world and Lexa was settled in school, it made more sense to leave her behind with family. On the third night of their trip away. Lexa's life changed forever and suddenly she was a permanent member of Gus' household.

" ahhh smell that beach air girls! Let it fill your lungs!" Gustus took in a large breath, held it for a few seconds then let it out slowly with a happy sigh while driving through the busy streets, packed with tourists in bright Hawaiian shirts, taking photos of themselves after every few steps and joggers trying to keep pace while walking their dogs at the same time. 

The streets were lined with tiny gift shops,restaurants, arcades and flower stalls which held the most beautiful display of summer flowers Lexa had ever seen, a small smile appeared on her lips and disappeared long before anyone had chance to notice.

Anya was messing with the car radio, looking for upbeat music while never taking her eyes off the ocean in the far distance. " It's so beautiful here. Everyone looks so happy and stress free...I can already feel my body relaxing." She kicked her feet up on the dashboard then huffed as Gus lightly smacked them back down again.

" we'll soon be there kids! Just up this road and then it should be around that corner..." Gus stretched his neck, trying to see further ahead, the giant cinema to the right was annoyingly blocking his view and keeping the street signs out of sight.

Lexa sighed and closed her eyes for a moment. She could do this...it's just a vacation after all. Maybe she could take long walks up the mountains and check out Polis aquarium. She really did enjoy watching documentaries like blue planet. Her favourites the squids and stingrays were incredibly fascinating. She could hide out in there for hours. Gus would just be happy that she was out exploring and not locked in her bedroom moping.

The car started to move down a long winding road towards a caravan park in the distance. Gustus sat up straight with a big grin on his face and Anya turned the radio off, half bouncing in her seat. Lexa sighed. I guess this is it for two months...

They drove through big red gates with a sign up above that said **Welcome to Polis beachside caravan park!** Gustus parked the car and left Anya and Lexa to grab the key from the little reception cabin close by. 

Anya turned in her seat to look at Lexa. " I know you don't want to be here but staying at home wasn't good for you Lex." She dropped a hand down on to Lexa's knee. " At least give it a try okay? The sea air and endless sandy beaches may even help a tiny bit. Just keep an open mind and take each day as it comes okay?" Anya pleaded softly.

Lexa knew her cousin was only trying to help and while she just wanted to crawl into a tiny ball and sleep for the next two months, she was willing to try for her family. " two months of finding sand in unfortunate places and Gustus running around topless in tiny shorts... Sign me up." Lexa remarked sarcastically with a little smirk so Anya knew she was just kidding.

" That's the spirit. " Anya grinned. " You never know, there might even be a holiday romance heading your way!" Lexa rolled her eyes as Anya chuckled and flicked Lexa's knee. " whatcha looking for Lex, hmm? A muscled up beefcake? A nerdy bookworm? Something in between?? I'm sure we'll find the guy of your dreams." Anya smiled warmly and then caught how uncomfortable Lexa was looking as her neck flushed and the tips of her ears started to burn up.

Lexa always fell silent when the topic of guys came up. Anya had suspected for a while that maybe there was a reason for it. She even made a few attempts to get Lexa to open up to her but she always shut the conversation down or found an excuse to leave the room before it got anywhere. 

Anya started messing with a loose thread on the back of her seat and cautiously broached the subject. " There's a lot of posters around town for the next pride event, we cou-" 

The car door opened and Gustus climbed in, cutting Anya's speech off and making her awkwardly turn back around in her seat. Lexa was ready to pass out the moment she heard the word 'pride' she had never been so grateful to see her uncle.

" Got it! Caravan number 307." He placed a crinkled old campsite map in Anya's lap " you're going to have to direct me." He turned the engine back on and Lexa tried to calm her anxiety down by looking at all of the patches of garden that lay in front of some of the caravans. She figured there were owned caravans as well as the rentals in this camp site. Judging by the carefully cut grass and large displays of seaside decorations placed out front of some of the bigger caravans, there must be a lot of happy, chilled out people in Polis...and rich. Definitely rich.

After a few wrong turns they pulled up in to the grass next to their home for the next two months. It was one of the newer caravans with a veranda wrapped around it. Lexa's brow raised in surprise as she climbed out of the car. It was much bigger than she expected with plenty of room between caravans. Gustus excitedly bounced up the veranda steps while Lexa helped Anya take their bags and suitcases out of the car. 

The living room was spacious with a big TV and large wrap around couch. The kitchen was open plan and had a cute dining table in the corner where Gus was already planning to play cards and dominoes on rainy nights. 

The kitchen door opened into a narrow hallway with three small bedrooms, a decent sized bathroom and a smaller room with an extra toilet and sink in it. Lexa had to admit it was a lot nicer than she had imagined and made better by Anya allowing her the second biggest bedroom. 

There was a small knock on the door as Lexa was taking her things out of her suitcase. Gustus was talking to an unfamiliar voice. A younger woman's voice. Her brow furrowed, placing the last of her shirts on the bed and made her way back in to the living room.

Lexa stopped in her tracks as she took in the very pretty brunette with dark skin and warm, welcoming brown eyes. The young woman seemed to lose her train of thought as she noticed Lexa walk in.

" umm..sorry, where was I?? " her eyes reluctantly left Lexa to continue her conversation with Gustus. " oh right! The cold tap in the bathroom takes a few moments to start running first thing in the mornings but it should be fine after that. Here's your kettle, I'm sorry it should have been here before you arrived but the camp site is so busy with summer break and all, I'm running a bit behind! " the girl chuckled nervously, handing the kettle to Gus before placing her hands in her back pockets.

" Ah! No problem dear. You're doing a wonderful job, your mother was singing your praises earlier when I went to grab the key. She said she'd be lost without you." Gustus smiled and placed the Kettle in the kitchen area. 

" That's good to hear." She smiled shyly and looked at her shoes. Lexa couldn't stop herself from staring at the pretty girl, it was only when she noticed Anya looking at her with a smirk in place that she caught herself and turned away quickly. 

" I hope you enjoy your stay. If you need anything, I'll be in reception. My name's Costia by the way." The young woman seemed to turn in Lexa's direction as she introduced herself. 

" It's nice to meet you Costia. We're the Woods family. I'm Anya, that over there is my dad Gus and that awkward nerd hiding in the shadows is my cousin Lexa." Anya smiled while using her head to nod in Lexa's direction.

" it's lovely to meet you all." Costia smiled while keeping her eyes directly on a flustered Lexa. " Maybe I'll see you around the camp." She tilted her head, looking hopeful.

" That would be great." Lexa cleared her dry throat now that she'd finally found her voice. 

Costia bit her lip with a grin and casually made her way out. 

Maybe summer had something to offer after all!

* * *

_ **The Griffin's** _

* * *

The Griffin house sat along a quiet part of the beach. Polis central held the main access points that got a lot of foot traffic through the afternoons, sun bathers, surfers and families never walked very far on the sand before dropping their things and settling in, enjoying the weather for the rest of the day. The Griffin house was a few miles up from there. Only the occasional person made it that far, usually to sit alone in the sand and reflect. The Griffin's were always polite enough to leave them be.

Well usually... 

Clarke Griffin was sat on a cosy couch, cuddled up under a blanket on the front porch that looked out over the ocean. Her legs were resting up on the railings, a sketch pad was laying against her stomach and she was completely lost in her artwork. This often happened, Clarke was an artist...or at least she hoped to be once school was over. She spent many hours looking out at the ocean and drawing every last detail she could see. She could pretty much do it by memory these days but there was always something new to see in each sketch. Last week she drew her mother and father dancing in the sand. They had been together ever since college and they were still loved up nerds to this day! Clarke couldn't wait to find a love that strong.

It was late in the afternoon and a gentle breeze had made its way through Polis, much to the delight of grateful residents. Jake Griffin appeared at the bottom of the steps and started smacking his trainers against the railings. Clarke chuckled as large amounts of sand came pouring out of each shoe and rolled her eyes at her dad. 

" Why don't you just wear sandals like everybody else?" Clarke tilted her head and bit the end of her pencil, leaving a new set of dents. 

Jake looked up, seeing his daughter on the porch and smiled. " Because I'm not like everybody else kiddo! I have style...class...and ugly toes that need to be hidden." He slipped his trainers back on and climbed the stairs.

" Your mom at the hospital yet or does she start later, tonight? I forget. " Jake was leaning against the doorframe.

" She's at work. Home around 11 I think." Clarke never looked up from her drawing and swirled the end of the pencil around her mouth in thought.

Jake nodded. " Quick shower then off to the bait shop." He enter the house and Clarke shouted after him. " You're the boss! You really need to fire Jasper, he's always too busy getting stoned to show up!" Jasper was a school friend of Clarke's. Great guy to have fun with but highly unreliable and had started to take advantage of Mr Griffin's kind heart.

The Griffin's were well known in Polis. Abby Griffin. Clarke's mother, was a doctor at Polis hospital and Jake Griffin owned the bait shop, sold surf boards that he made and designed himself and had recently started giving surf lessons to those wanting to learn the basics. Both parents were very busy people but Clarke didn't mind. She had her friends and a gorgeous beach to keep her company. 

The next couple of hours flew by as Clarke finished up the last few details on her latest sketch. She was only brought out of her artist's head space by the sound of her rumbling stomach. She often lost track of time when she was caught up in her artwork, missing many meals in the process. 

She brought her legs back down to the ground and shook off the pins and needles that had taken over since her legs had been in a strange angle for so long. She gave her knees a good massage and just as she was about to drop her pencil and go inside the house for some food, she saw a young woman with wild brunette hair that was flying behind her in the breeze, walking _her_ way, on the sand and looking rather mopey and deep in thought. 

Well this was interesting.

* * *

_**The Meeting** _

* * *

Lexa had to get out of the caravan. It had only been a few hours but they were a few hours of Gustus wandering around shirtless, trying to figure out how the TV works and Anya complaining about the lack of coffee machine and not enough clothes hangers in her wardrobe. It was supposed to be a break away and already Lexa needed out. 

She made her way towards the beach and took her shoes off the moment she reached the welcoming sign. A small smile crept up on her lips as her toes sunk into the warm sand and suddenly she could breathe easier again. Maybe if she just spent the next couple of months on the beach, the whole vacation thing would be over quicker and then she could go home and wrap herself back up in that tiny ball that she'd been desperate for. 

Lexa had no idea how long she had been walking for. There hadn't been a single person in sight for awhile now but her feet just kept moving along the sand. Her mind was too busy focusing on everything that she'd lost to care how far away she was. It was peaceful. Like the whole beach belonged to her.

Beach houses had started to appear in the distance and Lexa couldn't help herself from wanting to walk over to them. The thought that she was entering someone's private area of beach that was just there for them and them alone...nobody owned the beach of course but maybe a small part of Lexa wanted to be yelled at just so she could take her anger out on someone. She was a mess.

Each house had its very own pathway down to the beach, mostly covered in sandy footprints and the occasional splatter of seagull droppings. Lexa had been ducking and diving from the birds above ever since they arrived in the beach town, she was sure they'd get her eventually. As long as it wasn't the face or the hair, she could cope...maybe. 

There was a large white house coming up on the right that made Lexa stop suddenly. A five foot gnome wearing Hawaiian shorts was sticking out of a sand dune, in front of the house porch. The tip of his hat had been broken off and he held a real surf board in one hand and a fishing pole in the other. 

A real, full smile took over Lexa's face, a smile neither Anya or Gus had, had the pleasure of seeing in a very long time. She fumbled around in the back pocket of her denim shorts and pulled out her phone, ready to take a picture. 

" His name is Marcus." A husky voice said out of nowhere, around a soft chuckle.

Lexa startled and almost dropped her phone into the sand, looking around in every direction for the feminine voice.

A blonde beauty was leaning on the railings that wrapped around the large, white houses porch, looking at Lexa with a tilted head and a half grin on her lips. 

Lexa's body filled with nerves as she took in the young woman's appearance. Shining blue eyes (she thought from the distance.) Red lips that pulled into a mischievous grin. Long wavy blonde locks that flowed down over a thin strapped, pale blue vest top that made Lexa's mouth go dry, given the generous view of mouthwatering cleavage and small white shorts that could barely be seen through the railings. 

" Err..huh?" Lexa stuttered before clearing her throat and trying again with more confidence. " What was that? I mean...you spoke or.. did you speak?.. err..sorry what did you say??" Damn it. Well played moron. At least she made the pretty blonde laugh with her ridiculousness.

" I said, his name is Marcus. The surfer gnome you're currently hanging with." She gestured to the gnome with her head and then smiled, making Lexa's insides turn to mush. 

"Oh." Lexa nodded shyly and mentally kicked herself for acting so awkwardly. Talk to the damn girl! 

" He's named after my dad's bestie, apparently he used to look just like him back in the 80's ...I'm not sure how exactly and I'm too afraid to ask." The girl chuckled as she tried once again to make conversation. 

" Well... Everyone should have a name I guess." Lexa shrugged and dug her heel into the sand to distract herself from how terribly this was going. What is it with Polis?? Why couldn't she talk to the beautiful women of the town without choking on her own tongue. 

" Do _you_ have one?" The blonde asked after a moment.

Lexa was too busy mentally beating the crap out of herself that she didn't quite catch herself before she looked at the blonde with a puzzled expression and said... " A gnome?" 

The amount of laughter that filled her ears caused Lexa's face to flush. " I was actually asking if you had a name but you can answer the gnome question too if you want." She winked. The pretty girl winked at Lexa...was she oblivious to how badly this conversation was going?? 

" Lexa. My name's Lexa and gnome....I mean no! No gnome." God. Just walk away now and pretend you never left the safety of the caravan. Lexa sighed to herself.

" Well it's nice to meet you Lexa and just so you know, you have a little something..." The blonde pointed towards the back of Lexa's hair and bit her lip to stop herself laughing. 

Lexa's brow furrowed and she quickly patted the back of her head, her eyes suddenly went wide with shock as she realised a passing seagull had left a present in her hair. Fuck!

She squeaked as she brought her hand back around and saw the disgusting mess all over her fingers, the stickiness and smell were enough to make her gag as she quickly wiped her hand into the sand...it didn't help of course, now she had sand covered crap all over her fingers.

She turned to see the girl crumpled over, silently laughing in hysterics and Lexa started to feel overwhelmed with embarrassment. That was it, she'd had enough! She turned in the direction she came from and took off at a speedy pace. 

That was enough to catch the girls attention who stopped laughing immediately and rushed to the other end of the porch, calling out to Lexa as she ran through the sand. " Hey wait!!!" It was too late. Lexa was too far away. The blonde watched until the brunette was no longer in sight then slumped down in to a chair and mumbled. " My name's Clarke by the way." She rolled her eyes and groaned at herself. Idiot.

* * *

_**Polis Beachside Caravan Park** _

* * *

The sun was shining on another beautiful day in Polis, children could be seen in every direction with families making the most of their summer holidays. That was the most annoying part about going away in school breaks, everyone had the same idea, bringing their noise, excitement and chaos in to your tiny little bit of heaven. 

Lexa had been wandering around the camp site for the last forty minutes. She had to admit it was rather nice with all it's beautifully decorated gardens and little seating areas, the tennis court was a decent size... For those who played. A wooden cabin hidden in the more expensive side of the camp site held a spa and little cafe and there was a large playground fenced off in the middle of the grounds for all the children to play in and give their parents a little time off to relax.

Lexa had the Rent soundtrack playing on her iPod so she never heard Costia trying to get her attention or her footsteps moving closer behind her. 

She almost jumped out of her skin as a hand came down on her shoulder.

" Hey! Sorry. I was calling you but you couldn't hear me." Costia smiled apologetically with her hands up in defence after Lexa jolted away from her touch. 

Lexa pulled one ear bud out and let it dangle. " Sorry. You just caught me off guard. Is everything okay?" Lexa questioned unable to come up with any other reason why a girl like Costia would want to speak to her. 

" Yeah! Everything is fine, I just wanted to make sure you were settling in and to let you know that there's going to be a barbeque outside the main reception at the weekend with music and soft drinks...it should be fun." Costia smiled shyly and tucked a loose curl behind her ear. 

" Oh. That sounds great...I'll be sure to tell Gus and Ahn. Thanks for the invite." Lexa politely smiled and went to place her ear bud back in when Costia started to speak again. 

" So, you'll be there?" She tilted her head, hopeful for the right response. " it would be great to hang out and talk properly." 

Lexa froze with her ear bud just moments away from it's destination. " umm, I guess. Yeah...sure. It would be nice to hang out." Lexa could feel her ears burning up. Was Costia showing interest?? No...She's just being friendly. Don't make it into something it's not. 

" Great!" Costia bounced on her heels with enough enthusiasm that it set Lexa's flustered ears off again. " The barbeque will start around 6 but if you arrive a little earlier you could help me set up and keep me company." She tried to hold Lexa's gaze but it was difficult with Lexa trying to look anywhere else. 

" Do I get a free burger out of it?" Lexa smiled and chanced a glance in Costia's direction.

Costia let out a little chuckle and shrugged. " Show up and find out." Her hand reached out to Lexa's and gave it a little squeeze before she was on her way again, most likely to invite more passers-by. 

Lexa's throat was as dry as the desert. That was flirting right?? Her mind wandered, all the way back to the caravan. Should she take anything with her to the barbeque? What should she wear? Will she get that free burger?? 

Anya was sunbathing in a bikini top on the caravan veranda. Lexa stopped in her tracks and immediately screwed her eyes up, feeling around the side of the caravan for the door handle.

" What's the matter Lex? Afraid my sizzling hot bod will burn your eyes?" Anya raised her sun glasses to wink at Lexa the moment she dared peek an eye open.

" More worried about my eyeballs melting in horror." Lexa looked to the sky, half to shield her eyes from her cousin and half hoping the sun would burn the image out of her memory. 

" Funny." Anya laughed sarcastically. " You must have people lining up to date you." She knew it was a touchy subject but sometimes her little cousin brought the bitch out in her.

Lexa's skin flushed and she suddenly didn't know what to do with her hands as she thought back to her conversation with Costia.

Anya studied Lexa for a moment. Something was different... "I know that look Lexa, you're keeping something from me. Spill." Anya's brow raised in suspicion as she took a sip of her cocktail.

Lexa paused in thought with her trademark 'concentration frown' in place. Could she tell Anya? I mean, Anya already had an idea that there may be an interest in girls... Maybe she could help. Lexa looked over to Anya who tried to smile as innocently as possible with her cocktail straw between her teeth. Why were those closest to you always so strange?? Lexa thought to herself as her lips curled into a tiny grin. Maybe she could just tell her a little of the problem. " Fuck it. Fine." She sighed and sat across from Anya who sat up on her lounge chair excitedly. 

She took a deep breath and glanced at Anya again who just smiled patiently. 

" I think someone likes me." Lexa's voice trembled with nerves as she spoke, her eyes and hands, firmly on her shirt sleeve, picking at the loose threads.

" Do you like them back?" Anya continued to study Lexa, barely blinking as she focused on every nervous movement Lexa made. 

" I ... I don't know. I mean, maybe. I guess." Lexa's frown was still in place. " it just threw me I think. I wasn't expecting it." She peeked at Anya who was using the straw to stir her drink. 

" Well then, maybe get to know them a little better and see how you feel then. There's no rush, I'm sure whoever... _they_ are will wait for you." Lexa's stomach turned as Anya emphasised the word 'they' like she was purposely avoiding making assumptions on the gender of the person.

"Everything to do with dating feels scary the first time you try it so it's best to go at your own pace and just enjoy the shy smiles and light, flirty banter, then if you decide you're not in to it, that's fine too. You'll find the right person Lex, I have no doubt about that." Anya gently tapped Lexa's shoe with her bare foot and smiled warmly.

It was moments like these Lexa felt incredibly lucky to have Anya as a cousin. 

" Just make sure they don't see me or they'll dump your ass in the trash to get their filthy paws on a piece of this." She gestured down her body with a little shimmy.

Those moments never lasted long of course...

* * *

_**The Pier** _

* * *

The waves were crashing roughly against the rocks. On days like these you could feel the spray of water hit your face, if you stood a little too close to the edge of the pier. Clarke liked to pack up her art supplies and head to the quietest corner of the pier, first thing in the morning, just as the sun was rising, so she could catch the view at it's most beautiful hour. 

She often spent hours alone with nothing but her sketchbook and pencils, drawing the sways and curls of the waves with the warmth of the orange glow of the sun reflecting into the glassy water below. This was _her_ time. A place to gather her thoughts in peace before the rest of Polis awakens and swarms the pier and beach for the rest of the day. 

She lost herself for the next few hours in concentration and by the next time her head lifted to give her eyes a break, the sun was fully brightening up the sky and the pier was alive with kids begging their parents for sugary treats for their breakfast and people wanting to try their luck on the slot machines with pockets full of change. 

She smiled to herself as she watched one small boy offer his ice cream to a passing Labrador who licked most of it away in one big swipe of the tongue and flipped her sketchbook closed. She stood up to wipe away any traces of sand from the back of her jeans and started to head back feeling fully relaxed. 

It didn't last longer than a few moments.

" Oh look! It's my dear cousin with all of her friends." A sarcastic brunette smirked as she noticed Clarke walking down the pier. The loud mouths two friends snorted out a laugh, glaring at Clarke as she made a pointless attempt to pass by them.

" Fuck off Ontari." Clarke huffed and tried to elbow her way between the girls, making her loosen her grip on her sketchbook which Ontari snatched happily.

" Give it back!" Clarke tried to grab it out of Ontari's hands but was forced back by Ontari's taller and much more muscular friend Echo. 

" What do we have here Griff??" Ontari started to look through the sketchbook with rough, careless tugs and held the entire sketchbook by one singular piece of paper as she tilted her head to scan over the drawings inside. " how sweet, you draw like a five year old." Ontari mocked, swinging the sketchbook around in her fingers.

" Where as you just look like one..." Clarke remarked with a humourless grin. " Don't worry Cuz...I'm sure some guys aren't that interested in tits anyway... Your boyfriend not being one of them." Clarke winked.

Ontari gave Clarke a death glare and started to breathe shallowly out of anger. In one quick motion, she charged at Clarke and was suddenly pulled in to the arms of her other friend Emori who held her tightly against her body while gesturing to the police car that was parked between a seaside restaurant and the pier arcade. " way too public for a smackdown. Count yourself lucky princess." Emori smiled menacingly with an unblinking glare. 

" Maybe you're right." Ontari agreed and slowly walked closer to the pier edge while side eyeing Clarke with a half grin. 

Clarke's heart was pounding in her throat and her stomach turned over in nerves as she realised what Ontari was about to do.

" Ontari don't! Okay, I'm sorry...that was a shitty thing to say..please.." She started to move cautiously closer with both hands up in defence. She knew bringing up memories of Ontari's boyfriend drunkingly drooling over her breasts, last Christmas would of course come back to bite her in the ass but sometimes she couldn't control her smart mouth. 

She only managed a few steps closer before Echo stood in her way again. 

" Clarke, you are my cousin." Ontari hugged the sketchbook close to her chest with a smile that didn't reach her eyes. " I wish that meant something to me, but...we are what we are." She shrugged this time with delight in her eyes as she tossed the sketchbook as far as she could over the railings of the pier and down into the water below.

" No!!!" 

* * *

_**Polis Beach** _

* * *

Lexa had been splashing about in the sea all morning. The water was lovely and cool and a much needed relief from the hot tin can on wheels that she was currently forced to live in. She decided to walk on the shoreline in the opposite direction from her last trip, not wanting to bump into or embarrass herself further in front of the beautiful blonde that seemed to live near the beach. 

The water was soothing around her ankles each time a wave pushed the water onto shore, a pleasant feeling took over her as her toes squished into the wet sand underfoot and she found herself grinning like a fool. What was it with beaches that made even the most broken of hearts lighter?

There wasn't as many people on the beach as she had expected there to be at this time of day, a few sun bathers had put their towels out on the sand and started to cover themselves in sun lotion and she had just passed a volleyball game beginning with both sides looking smug and sure of their winning abilities. 

The pier was up ahead in the distance. She hadn't yet made it up there, preferring the peace of a long stroll on the sand to the loud chaos of the attractions above. Her dad always loved the arcades and when she was little, he'd always refuse to stop playing on the grabber machines until he had won his baby girl at least six stuffed animals.... Maybe that was another reason she had stayed clear. Too many memories.

As she got closer, her eyes landed on a group of girls standing close to the edge of the pier above. It looked like they were having some sort of teenage drama...most likely about boys, Lexa rolled her eyes and snorted. Luckily it was something she'd never have to be involved in. 

One of the brunettes moved closer to the railings, holding something tightly to her chest and then a panicked blonde came in to view. Wait...is that... woah! It was the beautiful beach house blonde! 

Were they bullying her?? Lexa huffed and glared at the scene in front of her. She stopped walking, already predicting what was about to happen. Her eyes stayed on the blonde protectively until her prediction came true.

The thing the brunette was holding came flying over the railings and suddenly Lexa's instincts took over as she tried to run through the shallow water to grab the item in time before it landed in the sea. 

It was a book of some sort, heading right for her...oh shit no it wasn't... The wind took it off course and Lexa dove in that direction, her fingers curled around the book loosely before she managed to tighten her grip. The book...oh wait! It's a sketchbook. The sketchbook was safe and dry unlike Lexa and the two sheets of paper that had fallen out of the sketchbook mid flight, now floating on and soaking up the sea water.

One of the two drawings that were quickly becoming a mess of colourful smudges and wavy lines, had a remarkable likeness to Lexa, right down to the concentration frown. Her head tilted in confusion as she fished it out of the sea and then looked up at the pier with water droplets falling down into her eyes. 

The beautiful blonde was hanging over the side of the railings, looking down at Lexa in shock and awe.


	2. King Of The Grill

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Clexa talk on the beach. A little more chatter with the Griffin's. The caravan park hosts a BBQ!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's summer time! 
> 
> Remember to put lots of sun lotion on and social distance from wasps and bees!

* * *

_**Polis Beach** _

* * *

Lexa had made it back on to the shore and was currently shaking her hair around to get rid of the excess water while pulling at her denim shorts that were clinging tightly to her skin. They were going to be a pain to try and take off later, Lexa huffed to herself and tilted her head to remove any left over water from her ears. 

Her breath hitched as she saw the blonde from the pier, walking down the sandy pathway to the beach in long strides. Oh crap...okay calm down. She's just a girl. A very pretty girl...a stunningly beautiful girl. Her thoughts were not helping any with the fast pace thumping of her heart against her chest. 

The blonde had reached the step at the bottom of the pathway and had taken a moment to take her shoes off. She was glancing at Lexa and moving a lot slower now, like she was mentally preparing herself to go over. 

Lexa took a deep breath and held the sketchbook tightly in her hands to stop herself doing something stupid like awkwardly waving. 

She would've met the blonde half way, but the wet sketches that had fallen in to the sea were drying out under some big shells that Lexa had found on her walk and she felt a strange need to keep them safe.

" I can't believe that just happened." The blonde shook her head in disbelief as she walked over. " I can't believe it's you and that you threw yourself in to the water just to save my sketchbook!" She chuckled softly.

Lexa looked down at her own sandy toes as a blush crept up over her face. " I kinda saw what was about to happen and I couldn't let whatever it was that was falling, land in the water cause...you looked really scared, so..." Lexa shrugged and glanced up in to grateful blue eyes. 

"Thank you so much Lexa. You have no idea how grateful I am." The blonde smiled and walked closer to her.

The fact that the blonde remembered her name was causing fireworks to fly around and explode in her brain, meaning she didn't realise the beautiful girl was waiting for her sketchbook until she saw the blonde cautiously trying to take it from her hands. 

" Oh right! Sorry." Lexa shook her head at herself and handed the sketchbook over. " there's two sketches over here too. I'm afraid they're pretty much ruined." Lexa crouched down and took the crumpled pieces of paper from under the shells. " I'm sorry I couldn't save them.

The blonde seemed to blush as Lexa handed her the sketch that was still clear enough to recognise Lexa's features. " Oh err.. I mean, are you kidding?? You totally saved years worth of sketches. I can live with losing a couple." She carefully folded and tucked the loose sketches into the front pocket of her jeans and grinned to herself as Lexa side eyed a seagull that was bravely strolling close by. 

" I'm sorry about that by the way. I shouldn't have laughed." She gestured towards the seagull. " if it makes you feel any better, we once had art class outside and my friend Raven thought it would be a good idea to tilt her head backwards as she yawned, and well...you know."

Lexa gagged and coughed at the imagery making her new friend laugh. 

" That's disgusting and it's okay...I probably would've laughed if it happened to anyone other than me." She glared at the seagull just incase it happened to be the one that embarrassed her in front of...

" My name's Clarke by the way..." She said out of nowhere as if she was reading Lexa's thoughts.

" I didn't get chance to introduce myself to you last time and I've been kicking myself about it ever since." 

They both started a slow walk away from the pier. " That's a pretty cool name. I've never met a girl with that name before." Lexa smiled and without thinking, took Clarke's hand to help her over a large hole that someone had dug in to the sand. 

Clarke was surprised by the action but held the hand tightly as she half stepped, half jumped over the deep hole. It was only when she smiled gratefully at Lexa, that Lexa realised what had just happened and suddenly her neck and ears started to flush and she quickly untangled her hand from a disappointed Clarke.

" So..." Lexa cleared her throat and tried to calm her heart down before she passed out. " You live here? I mean at the beach house...that's your home and not just a vacation house, right? " 

Clarke tried not to smile as she took in how flustered her new friend looked. " Yup. Polis beach babe at your service." Clarke chuckled and saluted. " I really can't imagine wanting to live anywhere else...look at the view I get to wake up to each morning." Clarke beamed as she gestured at the ocean. 

" It is beautiful here. You're very lucky." Lexa took in a deep breath of ocean air and shut her eyes for a moment. 

" So I guess that means you're on vacation. Where do you live?" Clarke unhooked her shades from the neck of her vest top and started to chew on the end of the ear piece. 

" Trigeda. It's a few hours away from here and pretty much surrounded by forests and lakes...it's a tiny place, and there's really nothing much to do there. My cousin works at the only restaurant in town and my uncle works at the salt mine, he goes fishing quite a lot too." Lexa felt nervous, she really wasn't selling the place that well.

" That sounds cool. Surrounded by nature and being able to go for long walks in the forest. I bet it's beautiful there too. I can just imagine spending my days, painting and sketching a magical forest full of woodland creatures and..."

" Snow white?" Lexa chipped in with a grin.

Clarke scoffed. " Please, Maleficent is the badass of the forest and a hell of a lot more interesting to draw!" Clarke gave a wink while she grinned and Lexa felt hot under the collar again.

" So you're here with your uncle and cousin then?" Clarke assumed from hearing only about them

Lexa gave a single nod. " I live with them." Her eyes remained on the sand while feeling Clarke's stare on her.

Clarke wasn't an idiot. She knew from Lexa's tense jaw and the avoided eye contact that Lexa was uncomfortable. It was time to lighten the mood.

" I bet it's fun hanging out with your cousin! I'm an only child who spends a lot of time alone with my drawings." Clarke waved her sketchbook at Lexa. " My mom works at the hospital and my dad works three jobs so it's just me a lot of the time." 

" You can have Anya if you like?" Lexa smirked. " I have to warn you, she eats a lot and attacks you if you make her miss her favourite reality TV shows."

Clarke chuckled. "She still sounds like a better upgrade to the one who just threw my sketchbook into the sea." 

Ohhh it was her cousin. What a bitch.

" She's a bitch." Clarke mumbled while Lexa wondered if she was actually talking aloud instead of just thinking these thoughts in her head.

" Why would she do that? She's your family." Lexa's brow furrowed. She complained about Anya a lot but she knew deep down that they'd always have each other's backs. They were actually pretty close in their own strange way.

" She's just generally the worst person in the world. She always has been...though I may have wound her up a little this time by reminding her that her boyfriend enjoys drooling over my boobs." Clarke laughed to herself and Lexa's eyes immediately went to her chest before she forced them back up and gulped.

" Yeah. I can't imagine that helped." She grinned at Clarke quickly before realising that they were almost at the main exit off the beach. 

Clarke's eyes followed to where Lexa was looking and both automatically stopped walking any further. 

" So I guess this is where I leave you." Lexa smiled and shoved her hands in her back pockets.

" Right...yeah. Um..so where is it you're staying?" Clarke bit her lip, making Lexa whimper internally.

" Oh, the beachside caravan park. We're staying all summer." 

" Oh awesome! Maybe I'll get to see you around sometime then." Clarke looked hopeful and her beautiful smile made her eyes sparkle. " That's Indra's campsite. She's a great lady, she'll look after you!" 

" I haven't met her yet, only her daughter." Lexa hated that her cheeks were flushing again, she hadn't even said the girls name! She really was a disaster.

" Costia. She goes to my school. She's a lovely girl and her brother Lincoln is dating one of my best friends...everyone pretty much knows everyone here." Clarke let out a husky chuckle. 

" I'll look forward to being the mysterious out of towner then." Lexa threw over her shoulder with a grin as she took the first step towards the beach exit.

" I do enjoy a good mystery! ... Thank you again Lexa. It was really awesome of you and you'll have to let me treat you to an ice cream sometime. Flake and sprinkles included!" 

Lexa chuckled and gave a single nod. " That would be lovely Clarke and you are more than welcome." 

They both held each other's gaze for longer than necessary before Lexa awkwardly waved and turned to walk up the sandy pathway. If she'd have looked back, she'd have seen Clarke taking deep breaths, trying to get her heart rate back to normal.

* * *

_**The Griffin's** _

* * *

" Sweetie, have you seen my handbag anywhere?" Abby Griffin had to leave for work in less than ten minutes and was searching the house like a mad woman. Nothing in the living room had been left in the same spot where it started and now she was frantically searching under Clarke's art supplies in the dining area.

" Nope sorry, but unless it's borrower sized, I think we'd be able to see it if it was hidden under my marker pen, don't you?" Clarke raised her eyebrow with a grin as her mom stopped mid search with the marker pen in hand to give Clarke a 'Don't be a brat' expression.

" I don't have time for this." She let out an exhausted huff as she started to look in the kitchen that was through an archway from the dining area. " Mr. Jaha is coming back in for surgery this afternoon and I have to see the rest of my patients before we start." 

" Oh right! That's today, I better text Wells and let him know I'm thinking of him." Clarke pulled her phone from her shorts pocket and only half heard the sounds of her mom mumbling something about wearing a backpack from now on, in the background. 

**To: Wells ( 8:13 )**

**Hey Bud! I hope your dad's surgery goes well today! I'll be thinking about you both. ~ C ❤❤❤**

" Oh mom. I think dad was looking for a comb earlier. Maybe check the den??" 

Abby came through the archway and sighed. " That man... If he was trying out the Danny Zuko look again, we'll have to hold an intervention." Abby rolled her eyes but the smirk on her lips gave away how in love she was with her husband.

Clarke laughed around the end of her marker pen. Her dad was a lovable goofball and everyone knew it. 

About half an hour later, Clarke was finished with her drawing of a forest land full of furry little creatures and a doorway to a secret garden where Maleficent was having afternoon tea with Snow white. It turned out pretty awesome and Clarke was chuffed. She really wanted to show Lexa and the thought that she might not see her again, made her stomach turn. She couldn't let that happen.

" Hey kiddo." Jake wandered past, placing a kiss on the top of Clarke's head while peeping over at the finished drawing. " you have one heck of an imagination Clarke. That's incredible. " Jake squeezed her shoulders gently and walked into the kitchen to make some coffee. 

" Are we framing it and putting it up on your bedroom wall?" Jake called from the archway. 

" Actually, it's.. It's for a friend. " Clarke's voice didn't come out as confident as she'd have liked, she groaned to herself, putting her head down on the dining room table with a sigh of annoyance.

" Oh a friend ayyy?? Do I need to puff out my chest and play the over protective dad role, cause I really think I can get through it this time without laughing!" Jake stuck his head through the archway with his favourite mug in hand.

Clarke chuckled. " Just a friend, dad." A wave of disappointment went through Clarke at the statement. She'd only just met Lexa...it was silly to be feeling that way. Her thoughts were interrupted by the beeping of her phone.

**From: Wells ( 9:12 )**

**Thanks Clarke! We're just heading out now. I'll let you know how it goes. Also, Indra is holding a BBQ at the caravan park this Sat for the camp members ( she said I was welcome & to bring a friend if I wanted ) so if you are free, it starts at 6pm! x**

There goes that nervous feeling in the stomach again.. Lexa's at that caravan park...fuck. Okay, calm down...would she go to a barbeque?? I mean, who doesn't enjoy burgers right?? It couldn't hurt to just check it out and hang with a good friend at the same time. Clarke sat up straighter in her chair and bit down on her pen lid in thought. 

**To: Wells ( 9:23 )**

**When have I ever said no to greasy food?! I'll be there! It will be great to catch up :) see you Sat! 🍔🍻**

Jake walked back in to the dining room with his coffee and a sandwich. " Oh,your aunt and cousin are coming over for dinner this Sunday, did your mom tell you?" He plonked himself down on the chair opposite Clarke and bit into his sandwich. 

" What! No! Why??" Clarke shot up in her chair and whined.

" Nia is away on business next month so her birthday meal is being moved up to Sunday." 

" Well I won't be there! I have plans." Clarke argued stubbornly.

" Oh yeah? What plans?" Jake raised his brow in challenge.

" I don't know yet. Give me a moment to think of something." Clarke slouched down in her seat and groaned.

Jake laughed around a bite of sandwich. " Sorry kiddo. If I have to be there, you have to be there." 

Clarke sighed deeply. " I don't get why we do this. Nobody enjoys it! Even Nia and Ontari who spend the entire time complaining and making snarky comments about the food.."

" The house..." Jake chipped in with a nod.

" My outfits..." Clarke added.

" My jobs, the gnome, how sandy the beach is?! 

Clarke chuckled.

" I know honey, but they are family and your mom rarely gets to see her sister... Thankfully." Jake smirked. " it's only a few times out of the year. We just have to grin and bear it." 

" But Ontari is evil. She threw my sketchbook in the sea!" 

" Aw honey." Jake tilted his head and gave a sympathetic smile. " I'm sorry about that...Ontari is...well, she's Nia's daughter, that's for sure! I hope she didn't ruin too many pictures. " 

Clarke opened her mouth to tell her dad about Lexa and how she saved her sketchbook but her skin started to flush and the words got stuck in her throat. Fuck, what was happening?? 

" Err.. Just a couple of drawings." Clarke smiled awkwardly.

" I might have to have a word with that girl." Jake mumbled while finishing off the rest of his sandwich.

" Please." Clarke scoffed and rolled her eyes. " Ontari acts all sweetness and kind when you and Mom are around." 

" We're not idiots kiddo. We know exactly what Ontari is like. Her fake smiles and innocent expressions fool nobody." Jake stood and took his empty plate in to the kitchen.

Sunday was going to suck...luckily she had a barbeque to focus on first, tasty food, music and good company. If she happened to bump into a gorgeous brunette with big green eyes, so be it! 

* * *

_**Polis Beachside Caravan Park** _

* * *

Lexa had kept her promise that Saturday and had arrived a couple of hours early to help get everything set up for the barbeque. Costia may have beamed the second she saw Lexa turn up. Lexa being the oblivious girl she was, took it as a sign of relief for the extra pair of helping hands. 

She wanted to appear casual as well as being comfortable so she wore a light grey vest top under her favourite black and red checkered flannel with black shorts and sandals. She felt good and Costia seemed to appreciate the look too. 

The front of the reception was covered in fairylights that hung high above and crossed over to attach to the street lamps that were at the entrance of camp. Costia's brother Lincoln was busy setting up the sound system and Indra was running around making sure the entertainment for the smaller children were set up properly. She has two small bouncy castles and a tall slide that dropped into a big tub of colourful, plastic balls to look after. 

Costia and Lexa were both in charge of setting out extra tables and laying out the ridiculous amount of food Indra had made to go along side all the burgers and hotdogs. The conversation had been flowing easily between the pair and Lexa was feeling a lot calmer the longer she spent in Costia's company.

Lexa had just placed a large plate of chips down next to three different types of dip when Indra suddenly appeared behind her, taking a hand full of chips.

" Thank you for helping out Lexa. I promise we don't usually ask our guests to help out!" Indra raised her voice near the end of the sentence and gave Costia a pretend scowl as she blushed and quickly ducked back inside the reception to pick up some more items.

Lexa let out a chuckle and also stole a chip. " That's okay. It's been fun, plus all this running around is really working up my appetite!" 

" That's good to hear because I usually make far too much food and there's always lots of burgers left over! Will your uncle and cousin be joining us?"

Lexa puffed out a laugh. " Gustus and Anya?? I'd be surprised if they weren't first and second in line as soon as the barbeque fires up! Anya's got a nose like a bloodhound when it comes to food. I can assure you, they will be here." Lexa was certain.

Indra grinned and squeezed Lexa's elbow before noticing that one of her staff was about to mess with the decorations she'd spent hours on and abruptly left to go shout at them. 

Costia returned moments later, now without her white cardigan on. The soft yellow material of her thin strapped summer dress was blowing lightly in the breeze and Lexa didn't know where to look for the best. 

" You look really pretty." Lexa said before she had the chance to over think it. It was true and innocent. Costia looked very pretty and Lexa thought she deserved to hear it.

Costia blushed and looked down at her feet with a smile. " That's very sweet. Thank you." Costia placed the lightest of kisses against Lexa's cheek and gently tugged on Lexa's open flannel. " You look gorgeous. But then, what else is new?" She whispered the last part with a wink and turned to help Lincoln with the music, leaving Lexa frozen in place with red tipped ears and not from the heat of the sun. 

It was a little after 6pm and just as predicted, Gustus and Anya were stood eagerly in line, waiting for the first round of burgers to be ready. The music was upbeat and a few of the camp site guests were dancing along with soft drinks in hand. It was still early so there was plenty of room to move about. A couple of families were making their way to the bouncy castles and a group of teenage girls had taken up one of the picnic tables with jugs of lemonade and chips and dip.

Lexa was sat on a stone wall that wrapped around a beautiful flower display that held a small water fountain in the centre, she was kicking her legs in time to the beat of the song that was playing when the scent of onions filled her nose and a burger wrapped in napkins appeared in front of her. 

" Free burger as promised, for all your hard work today!" Costia grinned and waved the burger around until Lexa took it off her and then put her own burger on the side while she hopped up on the stone wall as Lexa shuffled over to give her room. 

" My mouth has been watering all day at the thought of this." Lexa sighed and groaned, shutting her eyes as her teeth sunk into delicious burger meat. She could hear Costia laughing at her but she was too lost in tastiness to care.

" That good?" Costia raised her brow in question as a smirk took over her lips.

" Holy fuck my mouth is in meat heaven! " Anya blurted out a little too loudly from where she was sitting at a picnic bench with Gus and a couple of other holiday makers. 

Both Lexa and Costia laughed as they watched Gus flush in embarrassment and a frowning parent, covering the ears of their child.

" Did that answer your question?" Lexa turned to Costia with a mouthful of burger, then grinned with a gross food filled, open mouthed smile on her face. She received a little shove at the gross display and spent the next twenty minutes in fits of giggles.

By 6:38pm the grounds around the reception were jam packed with vacationers enjoying the music and food. Lincoln had taken over at the grill and was impressing everyone with his cooking skills and his secret sauce recipe. Indra had surprised everyone by taking off her shoes and going for a bounce in one of the bouncy castles. Costia made sure to take a lot of pictures to blackmail her mom with at a later date. 

" Okay. I think that last burger was a mistake." Gustus grumbled while rubbing at his food baby. 

Lexa grinned, watching her uncle plonk himself down on a bench with a groan. " How many did you eat??" 

" I want to say four...but then I ate half of Anya's when she went to the bathroom." Gustus burped quietly as the burgers repeated on him and wished their caravan was number one instead of far away in the three hundreds.

" Only four??" Lexa gasped sarcastically. " You're losing your touch! 

" I'm not a young man anymore. It's very depressing... I need something sweet...did I see chocolate cake over there??" Gustus sat up straight so he could get a better look at the dessert table.

Lexa rolled her eyes with a shake of the head and walked away.

The front gates to the caravan park were wide open, meaning you could see all of the fun and merriment happening from the pavement leading in. Clarke had been stood there for the last six minutes, watching families enjoy themselves and feeling envious of those wandering past with mouthwatering food in their mouths. The smell of onions were making her stomach growl so she distracted herself by tapping her fingers against her phone to the beat of the music playing while she waited for her friend to arrive.

Lexa was probably sitting with her family, enjoying the music. The image made Clarke smile to herself before a wave of nerves rolled around in her stomach. Fuck. Why does that keep happening?? She's only spoken to the girl twice! Her thoughts were interrupted as Wells came running round the corner.

" Sorry. Sorry I know I'm late!" He took a second to get his breath back as Clarke pulled him into a quick hug. " I was at the hospital, keeping my dad company and lost track of time." He took one final big breath and started to calm down again.

" No worries babe. How is the recovery going? My mom's been keeping me informed as much as she can." Clarke turned to face Wells as they started to walk slowly towards the entrance. 

" He sleeps a lot and his appetite hasn't improved yet but he's on the mend and that's all that matters." Wells looked a lot more relaxed over the last few days than he had been since his father got sick. Clarke was so grateful that her friends life was starting to slowly get back on track. 

Clarke and Wells had been best friends ever since they were small, all because of one rainy day on the school play ground a boy called Dax tripped Wells over on purpose and stole his Snoopy lunch box. A feisty little Clarke Griffin, charged right over and punched Dax right in the nose. From that day on, they were inseparable! 

As they walked through the entrance they spotted Lincoln immediately, standing behind the grill who seemed to sense their presence and lifted the barbeque tongs in greeting as they made eye contact. 

There wasn't much room left to move around in and all of the picnic tables had been filled with holiday makers. Clarke smiled at two little girls bouncing around and falling over on the bouncy castle, she gave a little wave and one of them shyly waved back before bouncing as high as she could.

" Okay, I'm starving! How about I go line up for some burgers and you hit the buffet table and we'll share it all out over there?" Wells gestured to a quiet corner that nobody else seemed to have noticed.

" Sounds like a plan." Clarke nodded and eagerly pushed a grinning Wells in to the line.

" Ow! Damn it." Costia grumbled and bent down slightly, rubbing at her eye.

Lexa looked over at the sudden exclamation from Costia, from her seat with Gus and was by her side in moments.

" Hey, what's wrong?" Lexa asked worriedly while ducking a little to get a better look at Costia's face. 

" I think I have something in my eye." She stood back up fully, tilting her head back while trying to blink the wounded eye with no luck. "Damn." 

" Okay, lemmie see." Lexa moved in closer as Costia opened her eye slowly. Costia was slightly taller than Lexa so Lexa had to tippy toe a little, feeling comfortable enough with Costia to place her hands on her waist to steady her balance.

Clarke had stacked her plate with all sorts of delicious food from the buffet table. Her plate was so full, it was hard to hold with one hand. She received the occasional stare from caravan guests but she held her own. What is it to them if Clarke wanted to eat so much?? Of course some of it was for Wells but they didn't need to know that. 

She was about to add a couple more onion rings to her plate when she saw Lexa...well the back of Lexa, but it was definitely Le-

...oh. Clarke felt as if someone had punched her in the stomach. Lexa was around the side of the reception building with her hands on... Right...Costia. They were pressed up against each other kissing. (or so she thought.) She felt foolish. Why did she even think Lexa liked her like that in the first place?? She was only being kind, saving her sketchbook. They didn't even know each other that well. Yet the urge to cry was bubbling inside and Clarke was baffled by the strong reaction her body was having.

" Got the burgers!" Wells smiled as he walked over while biting in to one of them. Clarke quickly pulled herself together, not wanting to explain her mood to her friend.

" Took you long enough." She smirked to let him know she was only teasing. 

They started to walk over to the quiet corner with their food, eating bits as they went. "Yeah, sorry. Lincoln was filling me in on all of the caravan park gossip." 

"Oh? Anything interesting?" Clarke bit in to her burger and groaned in pleasure.

" Not really. Apparently he had to save someone's cat from under the boards of a veranda and Costia's obsessed with one of the visitors." He said casually around a mouth full of food.

Clarke placed the onion ring she was about to eat back down on her plate and looked off into the distance. Great.

" Thank you again. One of the downsides of working by the beach, sand and grit tend to blow everywhere!" Costia smiled while dabbing the damp cloth Lexa found for her, against her eye.

" That's okay. I guess even a beach has its downsides." Lexa started to watch the crowd as more people started to dance around. She was having a nice time and it felt freeing, everyone was having fun and...

Clarke was sitting on a wall with her head on a boys shoulder, stroking up and down on the arm of the hand she was holding...

Clarke is here...she has a boyfriend of course she has a boyfriend. Lexa struggled to move her eyes away as Clarke looked relaxed and very close to the boy next to her. They're probably in a serious relationship...fuck. She barely knew the girl, why did it hurt to see her like that. 

With one last glance and a deep breath in, Lexa made her way back to the barbeque.

" Clarke, not that I don't love you, but your head is so heavy." Wells tried to move his shoulder away and Clarke complained with a whining chuckle.

" Hey! My head is not heavy...unless I've eaten so much that now my head is twice the size...God I feel sick. Why did you let me eat so much." She groaned again, putting more weight on Wells.

" Never take food off a Griffin... I think those were your words last Christmas when I tried to stop you eating all the turkey." Well's nudged her side. " Come on princess, let's get you home." He stood quickly making Clarke almost fall over from the sudden lack of support. 

Clarke got to her feet and stretched with a sigh. Her eyes found Lexa immediately and she tilted her head in thought...A Griffin never gives in...sure, Costia is a lovely girl and maybe Lexa likes her, but... Summer has only just begun. Maybe her fight isn't over just yet...

" Just one moment. " she threw over her shoulder to Wells before walking confidently up to Lexa who had her back to her. She lightly tapped her on the shoulder, making Lexa turn around with her beautiful green eyes lighting up the moment they connected with blue.

" I still owe you an ice cream...free on Monday? " Clarke's head tilted with a seductive smile on her lips.

" Lexa's lips curled in to the tiniest of smiles as she tried to remain cool. "I want rainbow sprinkles and a flake too." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is definitely a Clexa story but that doesn't mean other characters won't keep things interesting!
> 
> I may or may not be vanished for the next two weeks depending on WiFi but chapter three will be around as soon as I can. 🙋💖


	3. Daydreams and Ice Creams

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The morning after all the food! - The Griffin's host an evening with evil. - Clexa get ice cream :)

* * *

_**Polis Beachside Caravan Park** _

* * *

Lexa had been waking up a lot earlier than she was used to at home. It didn't take long for her to realise that she enjoyed the early morning peace and quiet in the caravan. She got to be the one who pulled the curtains back, revealing the new morning and open the door, pressing it back against the outside wall of the caravan so it hooks on the little catch and won't blow around in the breeze. It was always so hot in the living room first thing in the morning so opening the door, helped to cool everywhere down. 

Lexa finished making her mug of coffee and kicked back on the couch, watching the world go by with a cheesy grin on her face. Fine...she may have started to think this vacation was a good idea but she won't be admitting that to her family any time soon! 

She had two hours of peace before there were any signs of company. Her eyes were on a football game being played outside a caravan across from them. Three little boys and a girl who was a little older were in the middle of a surprisingly intense game when Lexa heard the first signs of movement coming from the bedroom area. 

She smiled around her coffee mug as Gustus groaned through the hallway on the way to the bathroom. We all knew those burgers would come back to haunt him!

The football game was won by the older girl, having taken on all three little boys by herself. Lexa raised her mug to the girl even though she wasn't looking in her direction and turned towards the kitchen door as Gustus stepped out, wearing his dressing gown and a queasy look on his face.

He made his way over to the sink to rinse out a mug while side eyeing Lexa who looked rather smug. " Can I help you?" Gustus asked while refusing to give Lexa the satisfaction of looking her way. 

" Oh no. I'm all kinds of good! How about yourself dearest uncle? ...kinda look a little green around the gills...feeling okay?" Lexa tried to sound as innocent as possible, taking a sip of coffee to hide her growing smirk.

Gustus gave in and turned to Lexa with a miserable glare. "very funny. You know all of this is your fault right? " he raised his brow and pointed a fork at Lexa. 

Lexa's mouth fell open in offence. " How exactly is this my fault?? " 

" You've met me. You know I can't be trusted around delicious food!" He whined and slumped over the counter. " You should've stopped me going back for the second piece of chocolate cake." 

Lexa chuckled. " Well let this be a lesson to you. Once your plate is empty, say goodbye and move on..."

" Yes dear." Gus replied sarcastically receiving an eye roll from his niece.

The kitchen door opened with force, making both Lexa and Gus startle.

" You might want to leave the bathroom for a while, I just pooped out an entire cow." Anya walked through the door with wild hair, rubbing her stomach with a groan.

The mouthful of cereal that was about to be eaten by Lexa was returned safely back to the bowl as she looked at Anya in disgust.

Gustus patted Anya on the back in solidarity. " I think we should lay off big meals for awhile kiddo! It sure was a fun evening though, Indra is a lovely woman and that Lincoln sure knows his way around a grill. Costia seems like a sweetheart too but I didn't get to talk to her all that much."

Anya stood up straight with a smirk on her face while looking at Lexa who was trying to act all casual. " Oh yeah? Come to think of it, I didn't see much of Costia either... How about you Lex, did you see her around?" Anya tilted her head in question, trying not to smirk. Truth was, Anya had been watching Lexa and Costia getting closer all night. 

" Erm..yeah, she...she was with me for some of it." Lexa tried to respond casually and kept her eyes on her own feet while trying to control the heat rising in her ears. 

" Oh yeah? That's great honey. I'm glad you're making friends." Gustus beamed at Lexa. He just wanted his niece to find happiness again. The poor kid deserved it after everything she'd been through.

" Yeah. Friends... You and Costia were sure getting friendly last night." Anya quipped only loud enough for Lexa to hear as she took a seat on the couch across from her.

Lexa shot Anya a threatening glare before returning her gaze out of the window. Costia was just a friend... She was sweet and kind and Lexa felt comfortable in her presence. Sure she felt flushed and shy when Costia got a little flirty but that was just their friendship. Costia was her friend.

Clarke on the other hand...Clarke was indescribable. 

Lexa thought about Clarke a whole lot. Even when she was in the middle of a fun activity, her mind would find its way back to Clarke and suddenly her heart would start to race and her body would fill with a nervous sensation. Fuck! Why?? Why is her heart dancing for a straight girl with a boyfriend?? Lexa sighed, figuring it was her bodies way of saying she wasn't ready for love. Protecting her from going for the attainable.

" Hurry up and finish your breakfast guys, the Polis mountains won't climb themselves! " Gustus finished the last of his coffee and quickly got up to change in to his hiking clothes. 

Lexa perked. This is just what she needed. A long trek up a mountain where she can get lost in the scenery for the next few hours. Bring it the hell on! She stood and walked an unnecessary route around the coffee table just so she could knock Anya's legs off it as she went past.

Anya huffed and lightly kicked Lexa's ass before she was out of reach. " watch yourself Lexa, you don't wanna piss me off just before we walk up a very high mountain...I hear it's slippy up there." Anya raised a threatening brow and if Lexa gulped, Anya luckily didn't notice.

* * *

_**The Griffin's** _

* * *

It was 5pm on Sunday at the Griffin's house. Nia and Ontari arrived twenty minutes ago and had already made a dozen snarky remarks about everything from Marcus the gnome _( "How lovely. Do you keep him there to stop people visiting? Surely Jake's dress sense does the same trick!")_ To the house _( " Is it me or does your house feel damp? Oh I thought that was mould on the wall...silly me! Your doodles are very sweet Clarke.")_ And even the beach! _( " Is this it?? There's not really much to look at, is there? I thought the sea would be clearer. Oh well...I guess you get what you can afford.")_

Clarke was currently hiding out in the kitchen, pretending to be helpful by washing up the dirty mugs and lunch plates. A fact that amused Abby greatly seeing as Clarke had never offered out of the goodness of her heart before. She was taking her time, making sure no streak or stain got left behind. Trying to keep out of the way for as long as possible _._

She really hated these dinners. Nia was the worst kind of aunt. She enjoyed making people feel uncomfortable and small, the smirk on her face growing as she "politely" insults your outfit. _("What an interesting outfit sweetheart! I just love how you don't care what other people think!")_

Then there was Ontari. The bitch who threw her sketchbook in the sea and had turned up today with her usual shit eating grin and a glare that could burn a hole through metal. She was even worse than Nia. God. Why can't it be Monday already! 

Monday with Lexa...a smile instantly formed on Clarke's face. The only way she was getting through today was by thinking about all the wonders that tomorrow held. Was Lexa thinking about it as much as she was? Probably not...maybe she was even with Costia right now...no Clarke. Happy thoughts... Ice cream with Lexa, maybe a walk on the beach...get to know each other a little better. Just take it slow and enjoy your time together.

Clarke was lost in thought with a dopey smile on her face as Jake walked into the kitchen.

" Apparently my hairs thinning on top and nobody told me." Jake sighed and placed a mug into the soapy water, splashing a little foam up at Clarke. " Nia's on fine form tonight." He muttered as he opened one of the kitchen cupboards, pulling out a couple of large bowls and wine glasses. 

" Mom send you in here or are you hiding out too?" Clarke turned and smiled at her dad while rinsing out his coffee mug.

" Apparently the pretzels are too salty so your mother sent me in here to get new snacks for the queen..." 

" of evil?" Clarke chipped in with a smirk. 

Jake shushed his daughter while fighting off his own grin. " Now that's no way to talk about your delightful aunt and her hideous... I mean adorable d-"

"Devil spawn. Right, gotcha." 

The kitchen was filled with laughter which made Abby both envious and annoyed as she continued to entertain her sister and niece all alone. " Jake, how are those snacks coming along??" Abby shouted desperately from the living room where Nia and Ontari were looking around the room in boredom. 

" oops busted!" Jake said only loud enough for Clarke to hear. " Coming sweetheart! Clarke distracted me!" Jake called back and winked as Clarke shot him a glare of betrayal. 

" You can't hide in here all night kiddo. Dinner will be ready soon and then we have the dreaded game of charades..." 

Clarke groaned and bent over the sink, almost dipping her hair in the suds. 

" I know, I know. But it's Nia's favourite for some reason." Jake pulled out a bag of chips from the cupboard.

" Because she gets to make fun of whoever is acting something out! It's like the perfect party game for her." Clarke put the last dish in the drying rack and turned around to face Jake. " it's not too late. We could just make a run for it." Clarke asked hopefully.

Jake smiled as he opened the chip bag. " If only kid! But unfortunately we have company that needs to be taken care of." He then took one singular chip out of the bag and placed it in a bowl. Then poured a droplet of wine into a glass and kept a straight face as he turned to leave, making Clarke howl in hysterics.

" Jake! Whatever you're doing in there. Stop it. " Abby called from the living room after hearing her daughter's laughter all the way from the kitchen.

After a dinner that felt endless with plenty of rude remarks thrown in _("your carrots always have a bizarre texture to them. I don't know how you do it!") ("Did you mean for the mashed potatoes to be that colour?") ("Can you pass the salt? I have a feeling I'm going to need it.")_ and five rounds of charades that ended in Clarke's team ( Clarke and Jake.) Losing three games to trash talking mother and daughter, _("Come on Clarke! Jake's clearly being Quasimodo... Oh it's a song? Then why does he look like that?")_ everyone had settled down on the couches with wine and dessert. The seventeen year olds had lemonade which received an eyeroll of displeasure from Ontari.

" So Clarke, you only have one more year of school left! Have you decided on what you will do after? Medical school like your mom perhaps? I'm sure you have bigger dreams than a simple fishing shop or selling those silly board things." Nia laughed while looking at a red faced Jake, like she expected him to join in on the joke she was making out of his career.

Ontari was the only one chuckling along with her mother while Abby shot Nia a glare, protectively squeezing the knee of Jake's that her hand was resting on while drinking a large gulp of wine.

" Actually, I want to be an artist." Clarke responded confidently while holding Nias gaze, willing her to take a shot at her.

"Art is my passion, as surfing is my father's...that's why he single handedly makes all the surf boards in his shop and why people come from miles and miles to get custom made Griffin boards and the bait shop has customers all day long, that's why my dad has extra staff now. It's a wonder how he still makes time to teach surf lessons." Clarke sipped her lemonade and crossed her legs slowly in a 'come at me bitch, what else you got' kinda fashion. Jake tried to hide his grin, giving his daughter a subtle wink in gratitude.

" Well...that's very sweet dear." Nia struggled to respond, not expecting that kind of attitude to land her way. 

" Yeah. Clarke has shown me some of her drawings recently." Ontari smiled at her uncle and aunt before turning to Clarke with a nasty glint in her eyes. " I'd like to think I helped with the water colourings, right Clarke?" Ontari bit her lip, far too proud of her joke. Having thrown Clarke's sketches into the sea.

Clarke was about to snap at Ontari when Jake spoke first, side eyeing his daughter in gentle warning. " What about you Ontari? Ever thought about drama school? I think you'd make quite the actress." Abby Subtly smirked behind her wine glass as Clarke bit her lip, knowing full well what her dad was implying by that. Luckily Ontari was oblivious and took it as a compliment.

" Thanks! I mean I do have over 1000 followers on Instagram... " Ontari blushed as if that made her popular.

" Well that _is_ what's important sweetie." Abby smiled and stood, her sarcasm lost on Ontari. " Can I get anybody a refill??" She made her way to the kitchen without waiting for a response.

Nia started to talk to Jake about their strange choice in carpets as Ontari moved closer to Clarke on the couch. 

" Artists make nothing, right? I guess when I'm famous, I could hire you to paint my house." Ontari laughed quietly so Jake couldn't hear. " Though I should probably hire someone who actually knows how to paint...honestly I probably improved your drawings by throwing them in the sea." She lifted her lemonade to take a sip.

Clarke 'accidentally' hit Ontari's elbow with her own while she was mid sip, making Ontari's drink spill all down herself. "Oh shit!" Clarke tried to act surprised as Ontari jolted upwards from the icy cold liquid running down her chest. 

Ontari was breathing heavily, partly from the cold sensation but more so out of fury. She clearly wanted to pounce and rip Clarke to shreds but she had to control herself in front of the parents. 

An extremely fake smile appeared on her lips. " not to worry! Accidents happen." The end line, sounding more like a threat.

Clarke covered her smirk as she stood to get Ontari a towel to go dry with. " Shall i go find my phone so you can take a photo for your 1000 followers?" Her head tilted as she asked innocently before leaning in and whispering. "#SoNastyItsLeakingOut ..am I right?" She winked and left the room as Ontari's hands tightened around her glass.

* * *

_**The Pier** _

* * *

It was Monday afternoon and Lexa had been sat, fidgeting on a pier bench for the last seven minutes. This always happened, she'd make sure to arrive before the other person and then spend the extra time, over thinking about everything and making herself anxious. It was so frustrating being your own worse enemy.

The pier was full of excited tourists, enjoying the arcades and stopping off for lunch at the pier restaurant. Lexa still hadn't made it into any of the seaside attractions but she arrived early enough to look around the gift stalls as they were setting up. She was sure she'd be able to find some fun gifts to take back with her for family members, if she had any that weren't already on vacation with her... Maybe Anya would appreciate the oversized 'kiss me quick' hats.

She was about to look at her watch again when she saw a flash of blonde hair, heading her way. She sat up straight and tried to ignore the wave of nerves that were rolling around in her stomach. God, Clarke looked beautiful in her white button down, loose shirt ( that was thin enough to be sure she was wearing a colourful bikini underneath.) and black denim shorts. Her hair was bouncing around in soft curls and she was wearing just a hint of make up. She was stunning.

Lexa wanted to tell her but the words caught in her throat. Clarke made her nervous and excited, there was a spark there that wasn't lit around Costia. 

Lexa stood as Clarke walked over to the bench and gave her a very quick hug in greeting. "Hey." She smiled and took a breath. That's a good start...'hey' is a word... Progress.

Clarke chuckled gently. "Hey yourself. I hope you haven't been waiting long. I had to help my dad put some equipment away in the bait shop seeing as his pain in the ass employee didn't bother to show up until now." Fucking Jasper! Her dad really needed to fire the guy!

" That's okay. It gave me time to look around all the gift stalls." Lexa smiled again, shoving her hands into the back pockets of her shorts.

" Oh yeah? Find anything interesting? My friend Raven bought me these tacky, plastic friendship bracelets from one of those stalls last summer." She pulled the sleeve up on her shirt and shook the plastic bracelets around on her arm. " They're pretty crappy but I love them." She chuckled and bit her lip, drawing Lexa's gaze down to her mouth and making her lick over her own lips in envy. 

" There's some cool items on the fancy dress stall that Anya would love and a kinky nurses outfit that honestly isn't as kinky as some of the clothes in her wardrobe already." Lexa's face scrunched up at the memory. 

Clarke's husky toned laugh filled the pier as they both started to walk, Lexa let Clarke lead the way seeing as she knew where she was going. " Your cousin sounds fun. Maybe I'll get to meet her sometime." Clarke turned to Lexa with hope in her eyes that they'd hang out again sometime.

Lexa paused in shock that Clarke would want that but managed to choke out a response after a few seconds. " Sure, I mean yeah...I hope you don't mind loud mouths with a dirty mind and absolutely no filters." 

" You haven't met my friend Raven yet, have you?" Clarke smirked.

They made their way over to the light blue building further up the pier that had a giant, plastic ice cream cone on the roof and **'ICE NATION'** written above a large window. The boy behind the counter had on a light blue uniform and a white cap with the shops logo on. It took Lexa only a second to realise it was the same boy Clarke was all over, at the barbeque.

Fuck. Great.

" Good Afternoon lovely ladies. What can I get you?" Wells welcomed with a charming smile.

" You're such a nerd." Clarke chuckled and Lexa inwardly rolled her eyes at the adorable pair. " This is my new friend Lexa, Lexa this is my old friend Wells." She gestured between them both.

Friend...wait. Did Clarke say he was her friend??

" Hey Lexa! It's nice to meet you." He happily put his hand over the counter which Lexa shook with a polite nod. "You too." 

" What can I get you guys?" 

A response to my ' are you _just_ Clarke's friend? ' would be good. Lexa thought eagerly.

Clarke was looking at Lexa, waiting for her to choose a flavour. Even without looking, Lexa could feel Clarke's gaze on her lips so she wet them with her tongue as she looked up at the ice cream options. She swore she heard Clarke moan quietly.

" I think I'll have the bubblegum flavour with the candy shapes and a chocolate flake please." Lexa bounced happily on her heels then blushed as both Clarke and Wells looked at her endearingly.

" and you princess?" Wells started to scoop Lexa's ice cream into a cone.

Princess?? That's kind of a strange name for just a friend, right?? Were they a couple?! Lexa was so confused and exhausted.

" I'll have my usual please. Strawberries and cream with a chocolate flake too." She bit her lip and Lexa almost missed that her cone was ready, too busy imagining what those lips tasted like with strawberries and cream all over them. 

" Thank you." She put her hand in her pocket, ready to pay when Clarke's hand gripped around her wrist. " My treat remember." She was already handing her money over to Wells before Lexa had chance to argue.

They both took their ice creams and said goodbye to Wells who was now busy serving his next customers. 

Lexa turned to Clarke just in time to see her take a long lick of ice cream and suddenly her legs felt like jelly. " Thank you for this, you really didn't have to though." 

" Are you kidding? You saved my sketchbook! I owe you so much more than an ice cream." Clarke nearly stuttered, watching Lexa's tongue run along her melting ice cream.

They shared a smile as they walked in a comfortable silence along the pier. Children were running up and down the length of the pier, trying to beat each other to different attractions as exhausted parents tried to keep up or at the very least, keep their hyperactive children in sight. 

Loud music flowed out of the arcade followed by the sounds of somebody winning a fortune ( of quarters most likely) on one of the money machines inside and the scent of delicious food filled the air as they walked past the piers seaside restaurant. 

* * *

_**Polis Beach** _

* * *

By the time they reached the steps onto the beach below, both ice cream cones were more than half way down and Lexa's mouth was stained with blue and so were her fingers as her ice cream seemed to be melting a lot faster than Clarke's.

Lexa looked over at Clarke when she realised that she was a source of entertainment for her highly amused new friend. " We can't all be skilled eaters." She mumbled quietly and huffed as another melted drop of ice cream ran down her wrist.

" C'mere." Clarke grinned, taking a hold of one of Lexa's sticky hands and dragging her over to the beaches outdoor shower. Lexa's insides turned to mush, feeling Clarke's warm hand around her own.

She took a hold of Lexa's melting cone carefully between her index finger and thumb and gestured with her head for Lexa to clean up. 

After cleaning her hands and washing the blue stains off her mouth, she turned just as Clarke ran her tongue over the dripping bubblegum cone to stop it dripping down onto her clean hands. 

....holy fuck...

Lexa's mouth dropped open and Clarke froze as she realised what she just did and that it was witnessed by a shocked Lexa.

" Oh..sorry! Um...here." she laughed nervously. " I don't have cooties, I swear." She winked and passed the ice cream back to a trembling Lexa.

" Errr yea...i mean thanks..thank you! Good to know. " Lexa's lips curled into a shy grin as she took her ice cream back and immediately licked over the same area Clarke's tongue had just been.

Clarke's skin flushed at the sight.

" So, um. You're still in school right? How old are you?" Clarke tried to break her mind away from Lexa's tongue as they started to walk down the beach again.

" Seventeen. As of three months ago. You?" Lexa turned to Clarke waiting for her answer while lightly burying her toes into the sand with each step.

" Same. But one month ago." She smiled. " So one last year of school ahead of us. Thank fuck, I can't wait to be free!" Clarke stretched her arms out and did a little twirl. 

Lexa laughed, watching Clarke look so happy at that thought. 

" What's your school like, back in Trigeda? Bet you're miss popular with all the boys drooling over you." Clarke nudged Lexa's arm playfully.

Lexa smiled awkwardly. Right...boys.

" It's okay I guess. I mean, I haven't really been to school all that much recently. " Lexa looked away from Clarke and started to fidget. Lexa had missed a lot of school since her parents death. She almost stopped going all together until she found out Gustus could get into trouble over it. Now, she only turned up on the days were she felt strong enough to cope. 

Clarke noticed the change in Lexa's mood and felt the urge to keep her safe some how.

That was a confusing thought for Clarke yet she found herself linking pinkie fingers with Lexa as she spoke. " Well on the bright side, the end of high school is in sight and then you'll never have to step foot in one ever again! " they both smiled at each other and Clarke was over the moon that Lexa had kept a gentle grip on her finger.

" Is Wells your boyfriend? " Lexa asked out of nowhere, surprising them both.

Clarke had to take a second to let the question sink in. " Wells?? God no!" She burst out laughing. " He's been my best friend since we were little. Dating him would be so creepy! Why?? Do we look like a couple? " Clarke asked, slightly horrified. Maybe that's why she's single...

Lexa didn't realise her shoulders were tense until she relaxed at Clarke's answer. " Well...kind of, a little I guess. I mean I saw you both at the barbeque. You looked...cosy." Lexa gulped, feeling awkward. " and then he called you princess..." 

Clarke rolled her eyes at the pet name. " That fucking name has followed me around since I was little. It's because when I was five I refused to tidy away my toys and when my dad asked why, I screamed 'because I'm a princess!!!' " Clarke shook her head at the memory. " my dad felt the need to tell my friends and now they use it against me because they're the worst." She grinned. " Wells is like a brother. Nothing more."

Lexa nodded in relief and was just about to speak when...

" Hey Clarke!" 

Two topless guys carrying surf boards ran their way over the sand and stopped just before they reached the sea. One of them was scanning his pervy eyes all over Clarke's body, making Lexas jaw tense and her fist tighten.

" Hey Finn. You might wanna keep your eyes on what you're doing. You almost hit that woman with your board." Clarke shook her head at the idiot.

" Sorry! Got distracted by your hotness! " he smirked with a wink and ran into the water, quickly followed by his friend.

Clarke rolled her eyes with an amused grin on her face.

Was _that_ Clarke's boyfriend?? Dear God Lexa was driving herself crazy! 

Clarke must've used her psychic abilities again because one look at Lexa's far away expression and frown had her blurting out " Also not my boyfriend." She raised her eyebrow at Lexa with a smirk on her lips.

Lexa's skin flushed as she gave a single nod and mumbled a quiet " Didn't ask." That made Clarke chuckle.

They walked further a long the beach, passing games of frisbee and sunbathers so red, they must have been laying there for hours. Lexa inwardly tutted at the clear lack of sun lotion. They were just about to reach the beaches main entrance when both started to walk slower.

" So... Do I have to let you go now?" Clarke flashed the puppy eyes at Lexa.

Lexa melted instantly. Clarke wanted more time with her!! The nerves in her stomach started to go wild again. " Actually, I was thinking... "

"Oh shit! I nearly forgot!" Clarke blurted out and quickly started to pull out a rolled up piece of paper from her shorts pocket. "For you." The instant she handed the drawing over, the nerves started and she suddenly felt very shy and self conscious.

Lexa's brow raised as she cautiously took the rolled up paper and after one quick glance at Clarke's flushed skin, she unrolled it to reveal...

" Oh my god Clarke! Did you draw this??" Lexa's mouth fell open as she took in every detail of the magical forest. Her eyes were big and bright as her lips broke into a beaming smile, watching Maleficent pour Snow White a cup of tea as they sat on a picnic blanket surrounded by woodland creatures. 

Her fingers started to trace over every line. She was speechless and Clarke was looking at her...she started to feel eyes staring at her lips again and she looked up just in time to see Clarke staring before her eyes darted back to Lexa's with a nervous smile.

" You like? Our conversation inspired me and I just needed to get it on paper." Clarke bit her lip and bounced on her heels.

" It's incredible Clarke. But I... You should keep it." Lexa shook her head and tried to hand it back but Clarke stepped further back with both hands up. " Nope. It's a gift. A thank you for saving my sketchbook. " 

Lexa took another look at the picture and then at a shy looking Clarke. " Than..thank you. It's beautiful. " 

Not as beautiful as you she thought... 

Clarke nodded a ' you're welcome.' And started to walk again, only to stop a second later realising they were at the beach entrance.

" So..." Clarke waited for Lexa to say something while drawing shapes in the sand with her big toe. 

Lexa tried to hide her grin behind a confidence she was faking. " So...why are we standing here? I have a pretty girl to walk home." Lexa started to walk again and felt her heartbeat pick up at Clarke's husky chuckle as she quickly caught up to Lexa again.

Lexa had forgotten how far it actually was to Clarke's house, having been lost in thought the last time she made it all the way over there. She didn't mind though, it gave them extra time to get to know each other more. 

Once she had got Clarke home safely and refused the offer of a lift home, Lexa made it back to the caravan park nearly an hour later. Her feet ached, her legs were jelly but Lexa was on cloud nine...

After giving Gus one word answers and avoiding Anya's smug face, Lexa collapsed on top of her bed and fell asleep within moments, dreaming of blonde hair and a teasing soft tongue, running over her...

Ice cream!

Yeah... That's it. Ice cream.

🍦Sweet dreams 🍦

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Turns out I could get this chapter finished and up! 
> 
> But the next might take a little longer... 
> 
> Happy Summer! It's raining in England o.O shocker! 🌂
> 
> Stay Safe 💖
> 
> Tumblr - hernightsky


	4. Fast Food & Sweet Music

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Early morning wake up call!  
> Grabbing food with friends and family.  
> Lost and found.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back! 🙋
> 
> Thank you so much for all the comments so far!  
> They really mean the world to this anxious weirdo! 💋

* * *

_**Polis Beachside Caravan Park** _

* * *

_" Shh! We have to be quiet." Clarke chuckled, pulling Lexa along behind her as they made their way onto the beach in the middle of the night. "I can't see a damn thing!" Lexa huffed as her bare foot made contact with something sharp, sticking out of the sand._

_" You don't need to see...you have me guiding you. Now come on!" Clarke whispered loudly, giving Lexa a little tug as she held her hand tightly._

_Both girls started to break into a clumsy jog on their way to Clarke's secret destination. Feet sank into sand, legs wobbled everywhere as the ground below crumbled and turned to mush with every step. Neither girl cared as they broke out into fits of giggles, just enjoying their time together._

_Soon enough, Clarke came to an abrupt stop, making Lexa tumble into her back. "We're here!" Clarke turned to Lexa, biting her own lip, looking smug._

_Lexa tilted her head back and looked around. " Clarke...why are we under the pier??" She tilted her head like the confused puppy she was._

_Clarke checked the pillar was dry enough before leaning back against it, smiling at Lexa without answering for what felt like hours._

_" Because I want you..." Clarke's smile turned seductive as she slowly started to unbutton her shorts without breaking eye contact._

_Lexa's heart was pounding in her chest, her ears burning like never before as she froze, unable to speak or think...this was -_

_" Lexa, I was wondering if you'd like to go for a swim?" Costia asked, full of hope while wearing her light green bikini._

_" Cos! What are you doing here?? I..."_

_" Hey! Can you two move? You're blocking my view!" Anya sat on the stone steps, munching on her popcorn._

_" Anya?! What the hell!!" Lexa glared angrily at Anya while taking her jacket off and covering Clarke who was down to her underwear._

_" Can we get some privacy??" Clarke rolled her eyes and continued to undress, making Lexa turn away before she'd pass out._

_Lexa was starting to get frustrated. " What the hell is going on?? Can you all just -"_

* THUD!!*

Lexa startled, shooting up in her bed, covered in sweat and breathing heavily.

" Oh my god quit it!" Anya whined loudly.

Lexa scrunched her face up in confusion. Was Anya talking to her?? She took a few deep breaths to calm down from her intense and highly inappropriate dream and collapsed backwards on to her pillows. Fuck. That was...interesting!

Suddenly, there was a tapping noise on the roof of the caravan followed by a groan from Anya.

Lexa's brow furrowed as she paid attention to what was happening.

Another tapping sound followed by the pitter patter of scrapping feet, ran a long the top of the caravan roof. 

Another thud...was Anya throwing stuff at the ceiling??

" Fuck off you tap dancing shitheads!!" Anya growled in frustration.

Lexa started to laugh as the seagulls decided to give them an early morning wake up call. " I'm not sure they understand you Ahn!" Lexa couldn't help herself as she teased Anya through the super thin wall.

" They'll understand this." Anya mumbled before opening the window and throwing something on to the roof, making the seagulls scatter and fly away.

" That's right fuckers! Fly away!" Anya felt like the most powerful person on the planet at that moment. She shut the window in victory and collapsed back into bed.

" Well played." Lexa nodded half asleep but impressed. " What did you throw?" 

" A shoe." Anya mumbled into her pillow while trying to hide from the sunlight.

Lexa chuckled to herself. " Dumbass, you'll never get that back now." 

" It's fine." Anya found a comfortable spot on her pillow and covered her face with the duvet. "It was your shoe not mine." 

Lexa sat up in bed instantly.

Damn it!

* * *

_**The Dropship Diner**_

* * *

The Dropship diner was one of the most popular places to eat in Polis, mostly because of it's wonderful view of the beach from the large window that ran across the entire side of one wall. 

Clarke and her friends came here alot, usually they'd drop in after school to have a milkshake and gossip about reality TV shows and who in school were dating, all the usual teenage stuff.

Today they were catching up because it was summer and Octavia was about to go on a family vacation for two weeks, Raven was already bored being stuck at home with a mother she didn't really get along with and Clarke just wanted to hang out with her friends and have her favourite strawberry milkshake!

It was another beautiful summer afternoon and Clarke was making the most of it by wearing a flowery summer dress that showed off just the right amount of cleavage and short enough that her legs could catch some colour. Her hair was up in a messy bun and her sunglasses rested on top of her head. It was the perfect summer outfit for a summer loving Clarke.

As soon as she pushed open the heavy doors to the diner, Raven's voice could be heard from their usual table by the old style jukebox. A joyful smile took over her face instantly as she watched Raven heckle a couple of younger guys missing their shots on the pool table. 

" Oh come on! Really? How did you miss that shot?? You just handed the win to your friend...oh oh! No way! You missed it too?! " Raven laughed and hit the table before noticing Clarke was walking over. " Griff!! What took you so long?!" She then turned back to the boys. " Let me catch up with my girls and then mama's gonna show you how it's done." She winked making both boys blush and awkwardly go back to their game.

Clarke chuckled and plonked herself down next to Raven, kindly saving the boys from Raven's view. "Making friends I see." Clarke grinned at Raven before blowing a kiss in greeting at Octavia who was sat across from her.

" Gotta start somewhere seeing as my old friends are abandoning me." She threw a glare Octavia's way.

" Don't be like that Rae." Octavia rolled her eyes at her sulking bestie. " It's just two weeks! I'll be back for the rest of summer." She gently tapped Raven's foot with her own, under the table. " it's not like it's going to be fun for me either... I have to share a room with my gross brother who doesn't know what a shower is." Her face crinkled in disgust. " Plus I'll be away from Lincoln." She sighed. " and you bitches of course." She added as an afterthought.

" Good save." Clarke winked. "You still have me Rae." She threw her arm around her friend and rested her head on her shoulder. " Pfft right! You've disappeared lately too! Between Wells and drawing, I never get to see your ass anymore... But fine...both of you go live your lives and forget about your fine snack of a friend! " she dramatically sulked, making both girls laugh and attack her in love and cuddles. " You're stuck with us forever you dramatic hoebag." Octavia grinned before getting the waitresses attention.

A tall, blonde with braids in her long hair walked over in the Dropship uniform and smiled warmly at her familiar customers.

" Girls." She nodded in welcome then placed a warm hand on Clarke's shoulder and gave it a little squeeze. " Hey Clarke." 

" Hey Niylah." Clarke blushed slightly and smiled up at the woman she once shared a drunken make out session with.

Raven and Octavia reveled in the awkwardness that was in front of them. They lived for moments like these! 

" Niylah! We were just saying how we don't party as much as we used to! Remember those crazy parties Miller used to throw each weekend?? Man. They were awesome, you used to go wild at those things and then you'd disappear half way through the night...you remember? " Raven perked with a mischievous glint in her eyes. " Come to think of it, Clarke...you had a thing for vanishing half way through the night too! Huh..weird." She tried to keep a straight face, ignoring Clarke as she dug her nails into her leg under the table.

Niylah blushed slightly and took a quick glance at Clarke before replying to the brat that was Raven Reyes. " They were some crazy nights for sure...erm...are you guys ready to order?" Niylah awkwardly changed the subject. 

" Not yet. Could you give us a minute." Clarke smiled politely while her nails sunk further into Raven's thigh.

" Sure." Niylah couldn't stop herself from giving Clarke the once over before she left. In fact she made it pretty obvious to everyone at the table.

As soon as Niylah was busy at another table, Clarke shot a murderous glare at the girl sitting next to her, finally removing her claws from Raven's sensitive flesh. " Why?? You ass! " Clarke huffed, not removing her glare even as Octavia laughed her ass off from the other side of the table.

Raven rubbed her sore leg in relief now the claws were removed. " I'm sorry! I thought it would be highly entertaining for me...and it was." She shrugged, not looking the slightest bit apologetic.

" And you wonder why you haven't seen me for awhile?" Clarke tilted her head in thought then sarcastically replied. " Hmm the mystery continues." 

" Yeah. Fine but I still think..." 

Raven's thought would have to remain unknown because the entire diner fell into silence the second Clarke saw her favourite pair of green eyes walking through the door with an older man and a tall, moody looking woman. Anya, most likely, Clarke assumed.

Her stomach instantly started to flutter with nerves yet she couldn't look away. Lexa hadn't noticed her and was currently laughing at something the tall woman with the moody expression said. Fuck. Lexa was so beautiful when she was relaxed and carefree, Clarke wanted to see more of Lexa like this...just being light and not putting up protection barriers around herself. Lexa held so many questions and Clarke just wanted to swim in all of the answers.

The conversation between Raven and Octavia was just a continuous blur in the distance. Clarke was content to watch as Lexa sat down at a table, shoved one ear bud into her ear and scrolled through her iPod with the cutest little concentration frown on her face. The thought of kissing between those crinkled eyebrows brought a warm sensation through her body, she found herself smiling like a dope.

Like Raven wasn't going to notice...

Clarke was startled out of her thoughts as she received a shove from a smirking Raven. " Could you perv any harder?? I can practically see what your dirty mind is doing to that poor girl and it's turning me the fuck on!" Raven winked and nudged Clarke's knee with her own. 

" Fuck off Rae." Clarke blushed and slouched into her seat a little, trying to keep her eyes away from Lexa...it didn't work of course but luckily Raven was easily distracted by another missed shot on the pool table. She couldn't stop herself from making the poor guy feel bad about it in her lovable Reyes fashion! Why do we love Raven again?? ...this mystery also continues.

" So, do we all know what we're having?" Gustus held one of the menu's while stroking his beard in thought. He really should lay off the burgers for awhile. Why did they have to look so damn good!

" I think I'm gonna have the banana pancakes but I also want fries and lots of em! " Anya perked, already drooling over the meal she had yet to order. 

Lexa was too focused on her music to pay attention to the menu, Anya rolled her eyes at her cousin once she noticed. " Lexa will have..." Anya pretended to scan the menu and then pointed at a random line. " a kick in the shin if she doesn't pick something soon!" Her foot nudged Lexa's under the table and Lexa looked up with a frown.

" I'll have the cheeseburger and fries." Lexa already knew what her tummy craved, she then smiled over at Anya's sickly expression... The thought of burgers turned her stomach ever since she over indulged at the barbeque.

Lexa was just about to change to the next song on her iPod when her eyes caught ahold of blue a few tables away. 

Her body froze, all she could do was stare. Clarke was here. Her mind instantly went back to the intense dream she had this morning and suddenly her ears were burning up. Clarke looked happy to have caught her attention and sent a little wave her way. 

Lexa gulped, casually glancing at Anya and Gus to make sure she didn't have their eyes on her and slowly raised her hand and waved once with a smile. 

Soon their waiter came over just as a tall blonde waitress made her way over to Clarke's table. Lexa placed her order first and then zoned out as Gustus and Anya told the waiter what they wanted. The tall blonde waitress at Clarke's table kept placing her hands all over Clarke! Well...just on her shoulder and with one hand but it was enough to make Lexa's jaw tense. Was Clarke into girls? That would be incredible news! But only if she had eyes for Lexa. 

" Your orders are in girls. Shouldn't be too long." Niylah smiled as she started removing empty glasses from the next table.

" Thanks Niylah." Clarke replied without moving her eyes off Lexa. They were now taking it in turns to stare intensely at the other until one of them blushed and turned away. 

Niylah huffed at the diners computer, tapping furiously at a few buttons before turning back to Clarke's table where Raven was quietly messing on her phone.

" Raven, have you hacked in to the diners computer again?? I can't sign into my account." She raised her brow in Raven's direction and placed her hand on Clarke's back without thinking about it.

Raven started laughing and then tried to seem convincing when she shook her head.

" Rae." Clarke scolded and side eyed her.

" Fine. I got bored waiting for my food." Raven huffed and sat further back in her seat.

Niylah rolled her eyes but smirked at her annoying customer. " What's my new password?" 

Raven looked at Clarke and bit her lip to stop herself laughing.

Clarke whined and shut her eyes, already seeing where this was going.

" IHEARTCLARKESBOOBS ...all caps, no spaces." 

Octavia had mastered the art of silent laughing while Raven's laugh could be heard all over the diner. Clarke put her head down on the table while a flushed Niylah returned to the computer to awkwardly type in her new password while hoping to God that nobody notices.

Gustus returned from the bathroom and sat down. " That waitress sure has an interesting password. Did I miss anything? " he asked casually while tucking into his meal.

" Nope...eating." Anya managed to get out through bites of her pancake. 

Lexa was half way through her burger, one ear listening to her family, one ear listening to music from her iPod and both eyes on the gorgeous blonde who was eating fries and laughing at something her friend said. Part of her wanted to go over there and say hi. Another part of her wanted to go over there and kiss her. Both parts were kidding themselves. Lexa was too much of a chicken.

A little while later the Woods family had finished their meal, Anya had gone up to the counter to pay while Gustus was leaving a nice tip on the table for their waiter. 

" Excuse me dear." An old woman with kind eyes tapped Lexa on the shoulder. " I'm all fingers and thumbs! Would you be ever so kind and help an old dear out and take my tray of drinks over to that table in the corner with the old handsome fella waving at us." The old woman chuckled and waved at her husband before gesturing to her tray on the counter with two drinks filled and almost over flowing. 

" Oh of course." Lexa stood immediately, pulling her ear bud out and casually tossing her iPod onto her jacket that was balled up on the seat by her. She was moving in the trays direction before she had time to notice her jacket falling to the floor.

After being thanked for the fourth time and been complimented on her kind heart and beautiful smile by the old woman who said she would be perfect for her grandson. (Great.) Lexa made her way back to the table and picked her jacket back up, keeping her eyes on the beautiful blonde who was in a full blown conversation with her friends.

" I'm telling you, Echo stuffs her bra! I elbowed her in the tits by accident once and they totally moved half way around her body." Raven's face lit up at Octavia's gossip. " I knew it. She's too much of a bitch to have boobs that size." 

" Because only nice people have big boobs?" Clarke raised her brow in question at Raven. 

" Yes!" Both Octavia and Raven replied at the same time. " If you've got big boobs, you're naturally friendly because you've already got everyone's attention." Raven said confidently, like it was a true fact then took a hand full of fries and shoved them in her mouth. " needs seasoning. " she mumbled with a crinkle to her brows.

" Yo, cheekbones! " Raven called to the moody girl who came in with Lexa and who was standing at the counter. Oh god! Clarke's heart stopped beating for a second.

Anya turned around and Clarke felt like she was gonna pass out.

" Can you pass the salt?" Raven winked and nodded a 'sup' at Lexa's aggressive looking cousin.

Anya stood still with a glare, burning a hole through Raven as her eyes traveled up and down the annoying loud mouth.

" Do I look like I work here?" Anya questioned, daring Raven to challenge her.

" You're definitely working that outfit. I mean...damn!" Raven bit her lip and wasn't shy in staring at Anya's ass in her tight black jeans.

Clarke elbowed Raven roughly, horrified by her friend and wanted to die on the spot. She was about to apologize for Raven's smart mouth when she noticed a small smirk creeping up on Anya's face...was she impressed?? Who the fuck knows. 

Anya didn't say a word she just picked up one of the salt shakers off the counter and held Raven's gaze for an uncomfortably long time as she placed the salt shaker down right in front of her, Anya's hand was so close, her fingers grazed over Raven's covered chest on the way down to the table and also once again as she let go of the salt shaker. Raven gulped as Anya finally broke the staring match with a wink before heading back over to her own table.

" Holy fuck. I'm in love." Raven blurted out as her eyes gaped after Anya's ass. 

Lexa stood, pulling her jacket on as Anya walked over to their table. She saw the whole thing... Anya was talking to Clarke's friends...her Clarke! Well, not _her_ Clarke exactly...but more so than Anya's! Her body filled with pins and needles as she watched the whole conversation, she couldn't hear what was said but it was enough to make her stomach fill with butterflies. She was envious that her cousin got to stand next to her crush. Crush... Okay so maybe Lexa was crushing on Clarke, that's what is happening right? Lexa decided to open that particular can of worms up at a later date. Instead she just untucked her hair from out of her jacket and followed as Gus led his family out of the diner.

Both Lexa and Clarke turned in each other's direction as Lexa was about to exit the diner. They shared a warm smile before Lexa closed the door behind her. Yep! Definitely crushing and hard Lexa thought to herself as she jogged to keep up with Anya.

By late afternoon, the Dropship diner had emptied significantly. Niylah was busy clearing tables and getting ready for the evening rush and Clarke and her friends were getting ready to head out. Raven had made her way to the bathroom after her third vanilla milkshake and Octavia was busy sexting Lincoln and thinking she was being subtle enough not to be caught....her face gave it away instantly and Clarke was trying to focus anywhere else.

Clarke watched as Niylah was now clearing up Lexa's table. Lexa... her face broke into a dopey smile but luckily nobody was paying her any attention. It was nice seeing Lexa with her family, seeing another part of her world.

Niylah was now reaching under the table and suddenly an iPod was in her hands. Clarke was on her feet in seconds. That was Lexa's! Her heart was racing, that's so silly! Why was her heart freaking out?? She really needed to pull herself together but now's not the time.

" Niylah! " Clarke tried to seem casual but her feet were walking over there, way too fast. " Hey, sorry. I think that belongs to a friend of mine." Clarke pointed at the iPod and her eager hands were already on their way to taking it from Niylah's grip.

" Oh really? That's great." Niylah trustingly handed it over. " Too many items end up in the lost property box and then the owner ends up tossing them after a year. It's a waste." She shook her head, picking up Anya's empty glass. 

She kept her eyes on Clarke's lips for a second. " Maybe we could grab a coffee sometime? For old times sake. " Niylah blushed a little but it was missed by Clarke who was happily clinging to the item that belonged to her crush. It was most definitely a crush!

" huh?" Clarke's focus returned as she noticed Niylah waiting for a response. " Oh yea...sure! We can do that." Clarke smiled with a nod. 

" Great! I'll um... I'll text you when I have a day off." Niylah perked and rushed to finish up clearing tables as Clarke followed her friends out of the building. She didn't really pay attention to what she agreed to, her thoughts were 100% on paying a visit to Indra's caravan park and seeing those beautiful green eyes again.

* * *

**_ Polis Beachside Caravan Park _ **

* * *

It took Clarke exactly two hours and eleven minutes to ditch her friends, return home, change her outfit with multiple checkouts in the mirror and make her way over to the entrance of the caravan park.

She was now wearing her favourite pair of denim shorts, the sunglasses that made her look like a badass and a white vest top that had " Rock Royalty " written in black script across the front. She felt more excited than nervous this time. She was about to see Lexa and she was so prepared! 

She checked the back pocket of her shorts one last time to make sure the iPod was still there, then headed through the gates.

Indra was nowhere insight so she made her way over to reception when Costia appeared, walking out of one of the caravans for sale with a clipboard and pencil in hand. 

" Clarke! Hey." Costia smiled brightly and lightly jogged her way over. Costia...she was such a sweet and friendly girl. Just being around her made you smile, like you were feeding off her happiness vibes.

Clarke felt a sudden wave of guilt. Costia clearly had a thing for Lexa too. Should she be doing this? All was fair in love and war though, right? Damn.

Pull yourself together Griff! It's Lexa's choice, you're just making yourself an option.

" Hey Costia." Clarke tried to match Costia's big beaming smile with her own. " you look all kinds of gorgeous in that by the way." Clarke gestured towards Costia's short cream skirt and vest top that had tiny butterflies all over it. 

Costia melted and squeezed Clarke's hand in thanks. " Gotta try my best when there's stunners like yourself wandering about!" Costia winked. " is this a social visit or can I help you with something? " 

" Erm. Actually, I was wondering if you could tell me what number caravan one of your guests is staying in? " Clarke pulled out the iPod from her back pocket. " Lexa left this in the Dropship and I said I'd return it to her." 

" Lexa!" Costia tilted her head and perked a little too happily at hearing Lexa's name, leaving Clarke's stomach lurching. " That's so strange, I didn't know you guys knew each other!" Costia chuckled. " I guess everyone really does know everyone around here." She shrugged then looked down at the iPod in Clarke's hands. " I'm afraid I'm not allowed to give out information on our guests but I'd be happy to give that back to Lexa for you." 

I bet you would. Bitch. 

Costia smiled and went to take the iPod but Clarke took a step back. " Thanks but that's okay! I don't wanna put you out. I'll just hold on to it until I see her next." She started backing away, her grip tightening around the iPod.

" That's silly." Costia chuckled again and walked forward. " honestly I don't mind, I've been looking for a reason to go and see her anyway." She shyly blushed and looked down at her own feet.

You won't be getting that reason from me. Bitch.

Man, her attitude towards Costia took a fast turn! 

Fuck...how does she get out of that one...

" It's just...I have something important to tell her and this..." She waved the ipod. " gives me a good opening in to a conversation. Sorry." She faked an apologetic smile Costia's way.

Lying... Lying was her way out.

" Oh. Okay." Costia tried not to look too disappointed. " Well I hope that conversation goes well! Tell her I said hey." 

Fuck no.

" Will do! Thanks." Clarke eyed Lincoln in the distance, sitting in a golf cart, giving a guest directions. She waited till Costia went inside the reception building and ran as fast as she could to catch Lincoln before he set off again. 

" Linc!!" She panted as she caught up to him. 

" Hey Clarke! What are you doing in my neck of the woods?" He patted the seat next to him on the golf cart which Clarke was grateful for.

" Can you tell me what caravan Lexa and her family are staying in?" She lifted her sunglasses on to the top of her head and flashed her best puppy eyes.

" Sorry dude. It's against the rules." Lincoln shook his head apologetically and turned the engine back on.

" I know it's against the rules but...I imagine sexting your girlfriend while you're supposed to be working, is frowned upon too." She shrugged. It was a dick move. But she was desperate.

Lincoln flushed in embarrassment and looked anywhere that wasn't in Clarke's direction. " That was uncalled for." He sighed then looked into Clarke's watery puppy eyes. " Fine." He huffed, rolling his eyes. " Sit tight. I'll take you there." 

Clarke threw her arms around Lincoln with a squeak of happiness and apologised over and over until they were pulling up just outside Lexa's caravan. " Did I mention, I'm sorry?" She flashed her sad eyes one last time.

" Yeah. Yeah. Like a thousand times." He shook his head at his friend. " You're forgiven. Now go do what you gotta do and tell nobody I was involved. " 

Clarke nodded with a salute as Lincoln drove past.

This was it. She took in the sight of Lexa's caravan. It was a silly thing to do really, it didn't belong to Lexa or anything but the fact that Lexa was living in there for now, was enough to make Clarke gooey inside.

The door was open and hooked on the side of the caravan. She could hear the sound of the TV on inside as well as a gravelly male laugh and two female voices.

Her body was filling with nervous energy as she took the steps up onto the veranda. She took a deep breath and walked closer to the door as the voices inside got louder.

" Why are my Batman boxers torn??" Lexa huffed, waving them about in her hand while looking accusingly at Anya who was sitting on the couch.

" Maybe they had a rumble with a pair of Joker boxers in the washing machine?" Clarke smirked and stuck her head through the door.

" Clarke!" Lexa squeaked out and threw her boxers out of sight.

" Hey Lex." Clarke bit her lip and took in the gorgeous sight that was Lexa in a towel. 

" Mind if I come in?" 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Stay safe, deep breaths and treat yourself to something chocolatey! 😍
> 
> Come chatter to me, I'm nice! I swear! o.O 
> 
> Tumblr - hernightsky


	5. When You Assume

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A tiny bit of Clexa - Clarke meets the Woods - A text - Cousins go watch a movie - Another text.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 💗 Keeping my mind busy one word at a time! 💗

* * *

_** Polis Beachside Caravan Park ** _

* * *

_Her body was filling with nervous energy as she took the steps up onto the veranda. She took a deep breath and walked closer to the door as the voices inside got louder._

_" Why are my Batman boxers torn??" Lexa huffed, waving them about in her hand while looking accusingly at Anya who was sitting on the couch._

_" Maybe they had a rumble with a pair of Joker boxers in the washing machine?" Clarke smirked and stuck her head through the door._

_" Clarke!" Lexa squeaked out and threw her boxers out of sight._

_" Hey Lex." Clarke bit her lip and took in the gorgeous sight that was Lexa in a towel._

_" Mind if I come in?"_

* * *

Lexa's heart caught in her throat and her brain froze at seeing Clarke on her doorstep. She looked like a rabbit caught in headlights with her wide eyes and mouth open in shock. The only thing that brought her back to reality was the cold sensation of her wet hair, dripping water droplets down onto her shoulder.

Oh fuck! I'm in a fucking towel!! Clarke is standing in front of me and I'm in a fucking towel with seagull faces all over it! Lexa panicked inwardly before finally finding her voice again.

" What...err...yea...come..come in." Lexa took a few steps back to allow Clarke entry and folded her arms tightly around herself to hide as much skin as possible.

Clarke took a step inside the caravan and gave Gustus and Anya a quick smile who were eyeing her with intrigue and confusion.

" Sorry I didn't realise I was catching you at a bad moment. I would've texted first but I don't have your number." Clarke apologised while trying to keep her eyes from looking anywhere they shouldn't.

" That's okay! I.." Lexa looked down at herself feeling uncomfortable. "Do you mind if I go dress real quick? I'll be like 5 minutes." She pleaded, feeling really on show.

" Oh of course. Go for it! I can..." Clarke glanced at Lexa's relatives. "I can go wait for you outside." She felt awkward and didn't wanna impose. 

" Don't be silly! You can wait in here with us. We don't bite." Gus let out a deep chuckle with welcoming eyes. " Well, _I_ don't anyway... and Anya only nips." He winked and gestured for Clarke to come over to the couch.

Lexa took a quick glance at Anya who looked far too happy for her liking. She had a teasing glint in her eye like she was quickly preparing a list of awkward and uncomfortable questions in her head. 

Damn it! Should she invite Clarke in to her room with her instead?? Of course not idiot. _' hey Clarke wanna come watch me drop my towel?? It won't be weird at all.'_ yeah, dumbass don't say that...

Crap. She was going to have to trust Anya. That sentence alone filled her with fear.

Anya picked that moment to look over at Lexa, like she could hear her inner dilemma. The smile on her face grew as she saw how scared Lexa looked, having not witnessed her cousin smile so big before, she found the whole thing incredibly creepy.

" Okay. I'll be real quick, just..." Lexa hesitated and shot Anya a pleading look. " just be normal.. Nice! I mean Nice!" Lexa shot over her shoulder in a panic as she quickly made her way into her bedroom.

Crap crap crap crap crap!

Lexa rushed around her room, throwing clothes on to her bed. She wanted to look at least a little decent while also wanting to be out there, in the living room as quickly as possible. 

She picked up her black and white checkered flannel and a pair of running shorts and moved over to the doorway so she could keep an ear on the conversation happening in the other room.

" So you and Lexa have been hanging out? That's wonderful!" Gustus smiled joyfully.

Knowing that his niece was out making friends and actually enjoying her time in Polis meant the world to him. Watching Lexa isolate herself over the last 5 months in a ball of tears, broke Gustus, he was over the moon at the thought that Lexa maybe starting to heal.

" Yeah, she kinda wandered past my house one day and then she saved something important to me from falling into the sea so I took her out for ice cream." Clarke chuckled, keeping her attention directly on Gustus. She didn't need to look at Anya to know her eyes were burning holes into her. Fuck she was intimidating!

" Aw that's lovely! I'm jealous, you coulda stopped by to pick me up. I love ice cream!" Gustus playfully pouted. 

" My apologies. Next time." Clarke winked with a smile. Gustus was a warm and welcoming man, much like her dad, Clarke thought to herself.

She was comfortable around the guy. 

" Sooo...Clarke, right?" Anya spoke suddenly.

Anya...not so much. Anya was anything but comforting!

Clarke gulped before turning in Anya's direction and giving her a quick nod in response.

" Pretty sure you're the same girl from the diner with the loud mouth friend, yes?" Anya raised her brow but remained unreadable.

Clarke cleared her throat, hoping her voice would come out more confident than she felt. " err..yeah. Yes..sorry about that. Raven's mouth has no filter. She's harmless though...usually." Clarke tried to look as sweet and polite as possible.

Anya didn't respond for what felt like hours, she just sat, staring at Clarke like she was trying to solve a puzzle. Clarke glanced at the door Lexa had left through, inwardly praying the younger Woods would hurry up.

" I wonder why Lexa's never mentioned you before? She's not usually one to hang around with such extroverts, being the quiet type and all...I figured she was hanging with Costia all this time." Anya sounded more catty than she intended. Really she was just surprised.

If Clarke had taken it the wrong way, she never showed it, though the comment about Costia made her flutter slightly. She was more than happy to be the one taking up Lexa's free time.

" Lexa's not actually met Raven or any of my friends yet. I enjoy her company far too much to share it with others." Clarke attempted a friendly smile in Anya's direction. " Costia is a lovely girl too. Lexa will have a good friend in her." She stated truthfully. 

" Yeah." Anya nodded in agreement. " Friend or more, Costia is good for her." Anya once again stared at Clarke, giving nothing away.

Wait. More? Are they already a thing?? Clarke tried to look calm and relaxed on the outside while her stomach turned and the idea of crying wasn't out of the question on the inside. She would never of course. Anya was clearly searching for something and Clarke was not about to give it to her.

Lexa was half way through buttoning up her flannel when she heard part of a conversation.

_" Lexa's not actually met Raven or any of my friends yet. I enjoy her company far too much to share it with others."_

Her ears immediately heated and she broke out into a dopey smile, resting her head against the doorframe. 

Clarke enjoyed her company...

Maybe they could hang out a lot more now that she knew? Clarke mentioned that she didn't have her number...Lexa was now feeling confident enough to bring that up when she ...-

_" Friend or more, Costia is good for her."_

...

What...

Or more?? Did she really..

Fuck Anya! Really?? What the hell was she playing at?? Or more.. Was that Anya's not so subtle way of telling Clarke to back off? Clarke might not even like her like that! Was she really trying to ruin things when she doesn't even know for sure whether Lexa's even attracted to girls?!

Lexa huffed in anger and quickly checked herself in the mirror before storming through the door, flashing Anya a pissed off glare. Her eyes then settled on a relieved looking Clarke and suddenly her insides were a lot calmer and full of butterflies.

" Shall we go talk on the veranda? " Lexa smiled, ignoring everyone who wasn't Clarke.

" Sure." Clarke nodded as she stood up from the couch then turned towards Lexa's family. " It was really great meeting you both. Maybe I'll see you again sometime. " her hand went up in a half wave. Gus was the only one polite enough to respond.

" It was lovely to meet you, Dear! You better pop around again. You owe me ice cream, remember!" he winked as Clarke let out a chuckle. "I'll see what I can do." Her eyes quickly darted passed Anya as she made her way out onto the veranda with Lexa.

Once outside, Lexa unhooked the door and closed it for privacy then walked Clarke over to the lounge chairs that sat in front of the caravan on the veranda. 

Clarke sat on the chair furthest away from the windows and bit her lip nervously as Lexa came to sit on the chair closest to her.

" Again, I'm sorry for just showing up but you left this at the Diner earlier and I wanted to make sure it got back to you safely." Clarke removed the iPod from her pocket and handed it over.

Lexa's eyes went wide as her iPod came in to view. She'd only been home for a little while and hadn't had time to realise it was missing.

" Oh wow! Thank you...I...I had no idea I left it behind." Lexa took the iPod in her hands and tried not to think about how warm it felt, being in Clarke's pocket for so long....Clarke's body heat...focus!

" You're welcome. You save me, I save you right?" Clarke chuckled. " Guess we're even." Clarke grinned, leaning back on her hands.

" Does that mean I have to buy you ice cream now?" Lexa raised her brow in amusement.

Clarke tried to hide the excitement rolling around inside of her at the thought. " Sure but we have to take your uncle with us." 

Anya glanced out of the window as both girls broke out into laughter. Who was this blonde? What did she want with her baby cousin? Anya wasn't sure what to do next, she just kept watching protectively from the couch.

After ten minutes of talking about how tasty the burgers are, at the Dropship, Clarke decided it was getting late and that she should leave the Woods to enjoy their evening in peace.

Lexa plucked up the courage to ask for Clarke's phone number... Just incase she happened to lose anything else, of course! 

Clarke happily exchanged numbers and gave Lexa a loose hug and gentle kiss on the cheek before she had time to chicken out and took the stairs two at a time as she left the veranda. 

Both girls waved goodbye and Lexa entered the caravan with a giant grin on her face which received a wink from Gus and a puzzled expression from Anya.

" What??" Lexa looked at them weirdly before placing an ear bud in and heading back to her room.

Crap! What if Clarke listened to her iPod??

Oh well, I'm sure everyone can appreciate the awesomeness that was Dolly Parton and Cher .....right?? 

* * *

_**The Pier** _

* * *

The sun was slowly rising in the sky on what was sure to be another sweltering day. Clarke's canvas was filled with pure oranges, glowing yellows, heated reds and sparkling blues. She sat on her favourite spot of the pier and painted the beautiful morning in front of her. The day was never more spectacular than when the sun was waking up, Clarke smiled to herself and placed her paintbrush into the jar of water that sat next to her phone and a mixture of different coloured paint tubes.

" Honey, can you grab those nets and tackle boxes for me." Jake appeared from behind a storage building, awkwardly carrying far too many fishing rods and buckets than his arms could cope with.

The guy saw no point in making two trips when he could dangerously carry everything at once. Clarke had unfortunately inherited that stubborn gene from her father and often carried her art supplies around the house with two overflowing arms, instead of making more than one trip up and down the stairs. Abby was always on edge with those two around. Good thing she was a doctor! 

Clarke quickly wiped her paint stained hands on a cloth and made her way over to the storage building. She picked up the nets and tackle boxes that were leaning against the wall and followed behind her dad as he made his way down some steps onto a lower platform that led to his bait shop.

" Let me guess, Jasper decided to sleep in this morning?" Clarke mumbled from behind a mouthful of netting.

" Either that or he's forgotten that he actually works for me." Jake placed the heavy items down in front of his shop with a relieved sigh and started to stretch his back out.

Clarke rolled her eyes in frustration. " I keep telling you. Fire him! He's taking advantage and I want to kick his ass." She muttered, placing the nets against the side of the shop and handing Jake the tackle boxes.

" I know. I know." Jake dramatically bounced about. " I'm a sweetheart. What can I say... He's on his last warning." He crossed his heart and did some sort of boy scout gesture.

" You said that five warnings ago!" Clarke practically squeaked out.

Jake was just about to defend himself as both of them heard footsteps coming up the stairs from the beach below.

Gustus appeared on the wooden platform, wearing Hawaiian style shorts a black vest and flip flops. His long beard shimmering in the morning sun. 

Clarke's mouth dropped open in surprise. What the hell was Lexa's uncle doing there and at this ridiculous time of the morning?? 

Gustus looked less surprised at seeing Clarke as he tilted his head with a friendly grin. " Well fancy bumping in to you!" He gruffly chuckled and Jake put his hand up in greeting.

" Good morning sir! What can I do for you today? I'm afraid this little fishy right here, isn't for sale." Jake lightly tickled Clarke's side which made her squeak again and wriggle away from her father's hands.

Gustus laughed deeply at the endearing father, daughter scene in front of him. " Not to worry. I have my own little tiddlers back at camp!" Gustus' smile made his eyes shine brighter.

Clarke scoffed " I think ones more of a piranha." Her face quickly turned to regret as she realised she said that out loud without thinking.

Luckily it didn't matter as Gustus barked out a laugh and patted her on the shoulder in support. " Anya can be a horror when she wants to be. Try not to take it to heart." He nudged her gently with a smile.

Jake was watching closely with his own smile in place. He wasn't a bit surprised that his daughter already knew the man who was a stranger to himself. Clarke was so friendly and welcoming, it was hard not to know who she was, in sunny Polis.

" Actually, I hear good things about the fishing spot over by the cliffs and my niece happened to mention that your father owns the Polis bait shop, in one of her many ramblings about her new friend Clarke." He grinned happily.

Clarke's skin started to flush and she had to bite her lip to stop herself squealing in joy. Lexa's been rambling on and on about her!!! Sorry, not sorry Costia! 

" So I thought I'd stop by and see what was on offer and maybe head on over there tomorrow morning and see what mischief I can get upto!" 

" Well, my good man. Come on in and let's see what I can do for you!... Oh if you want to bring some of those tackle boxes in with you and maybe one of those nets...who am I to stop you??" He batted his eyelashes innocently and went inside his shop.

Gustus shook his head in amusement as Clarke chuckled at her dad's cheekiness. " Yes Dear. On my way." He gave Clarke one last smile before picking up a few of the tackle boxes and a couple of nets and heading in to the bait shop for supplies.

Once Clarke had made her way back onto the pier, the gift stalls had started to open up and the lights were on in some of the attractions that ran along the pier. Her things were exactly where she had left them and the sun was fully up and beaming down, covering the pier in a warming orange glow. 

She started to pack up her belongings while smiling like a dope. Lexa had started talking about her. She was on Lexa's mind... 

Just then, her phone beeped.

The sun was glaring over the screen, making her squint. She was just about able to read the short message.

**Free for coffee tomorrow 1:15pm? X**

Her body filled with excitement. Lexa wanted to hang out again and so soon! Hell yes! 

She quickly responded, not caring if she came off as desperate.

**Sure! I'll meet you outside The Ark Coffee House. Can't wait. X**

She felt like she was floating all the way back to her house. As soon as she entered her bedroom, she started to plan the perfect outfit. Tomorrow couldn't come quick enough!

* * *

_**Central Polis Cinema** _

* * *

" Ahn you need to let it go." Lexa let out a sigh of annoyance as she led the way down the aisles, looking for their seat numbers.

" How can I?? It's ridiculous! They embarrassed me in front of all the movie goers and treated me like a thief!" She grumbled as they shuffled along their aisle and then took her seat in a huff. " The manager will be hearing from me in a very detailed email! Oh! Maybe I could appear on the Ellen show or something??" Anya turned to Lexa in thought.

Lexa couldn't help the laugh that escaped her. " I really don't think Ellen will wanna hear how the movie usher stopped you from bringing in your own snacks and made you pay their insane prices for refreshments instead." Lexa looked at her cousin in amusement.

" The prices _are_ insane! I could buy a pack of four, regular sized candy bags from the market and still have change left over for the price of one of their bags! How is that fair?" Anya sulked and slouched in her seat.

Lexa nodded in agreement. " Your mistake was walking through the door while eating your own candy. Dumbass. If you'd have just waited until we were inside..." Lexa sighed.

" I was hungry! You wouldn't let me stop for lunch because you're a nerd who enjoys watching all the trailers that go on for like twenty minutes beforehand! " 

Lexa shrugged. Sometimes the trailers were the best part! 

Her mind started to wander. Maybe Clarke would like this movie? She's probably already seen it with her friends. Would she take an aisle seat or would she prefer to sit closest to a wall... Maybe she likes to cuddle up while watching movies. Hand holding perhaps...

Lexa was smiling without realising but luckily Anya was still ranting to herself about being ripped off to notice.

Was it too soon to text? Clarke happily handed her number over and she does enjoy her company after all...

Lexa took out her phone, just as the lights were going down and the first trailer was beginning. The space around her was lit by the glow of her phone screen, attracting attention and unimpressed looks from family members in the rows that surrounded them. 

Lexa received a shove from Anya who was munching her popcorn and nodding her head in the direction of the movie usher who was scowling and mouthing the words ' turn your phone off' towards Lexa.

Damn.

Movie first then text Clarke... Yeah! That's better, don't wanna look too eager, right? She quickly shut her phone off and placed it back in her pocket. 

The trailers continued for the next thirteen minutes before Anya felt a gentle tapping on her knee. Her eyes flickered towards Lexa.

" What movie are we watching anyway?? " Lexa asked with a head tilt and a confused puppy look that made it hard for Anya to be annoyed at her younger cousin.

Hard...but not impossible.

* * *

_**Polis Beachside Caravan Park** _

* * *

Lexa had enjoyed her afternoon with her cousin. Turns out the action movie they saw at the cinema, wasn't half bad! It was thrilling enough to keep them both on the edge of their seats and the kind couple that sat in front, didn't mind too much when Anya jumped at a particularly scary scene and threw her popcorn up in the air which then rained down over both of them.

Anya was still complaining about skipping lunch after the movie had ended. It probably didn't help that half of her snacks ended up in the laps of strangers also. Seeing as her own stomach was starting to growl too, Lexa stopped off for pizza on the way back to the caravan.

Now that Anya was once again full of cheesy goodness, she was happily collapsed on the couch in a food coma. Gustus had returned from his wandering around Polis and had promised to eat up, all of the left overs once he's had a nice hot shower and Lexa was finally alone in her bedroom and free to do what she's been wanting to do all day!

_' Hey Clarke...it's Lexa! Wanna hang?'_

yea...no.

_'Hey Clarke! Do you eat food? We could go eat sometime..'_

Do you eat food??

No of course she doesn't, she's a robot.

Dumbass.

_' Hey Clarke. You look pretty today._

_Not that I can see you or anything haha!_

_I'm not stalking you I swear...I'm just..._

_I mean you always look pretty so...'_

Yea..that's the one!

Creepy is in... I'm sure you'll be fine.

Lexa huffed and threw her phone back down as she collapsed back onto her pillows. Why was this so difficult?? Clarke isn't even aware of your crush. Just... Just be yourself. Lexa nodded to herself and picked her phone back up.

* * *

_**The Griffin's** _

* * *

Clarke stood in front of her mirror, wearing the outfit she had picked out for tomorrow. She smiled to herself as she patted the soft material of her dress. It was perfect and summery and light. Tomorrow meant a lot to her and her heart wouldn't stay calm in her chest. 

Her phone beeped, taking her attention away from her outfit.

**From Lexa: ( 18:17 )**

**Hey Clarke. Thanks again for returning my iPod! I was wondering if you'd like to hang out sometime through the week? Maybe we could have lunch :) enjoy your evening. - Lexa**

Clarke let out an amused giggle as her brow furrowed in confusion. Did Lexa forget about coffee already?? 

Her stomach then dropped as she just had a horrible realisation. She only assumed the text this morning was from Lexa...

Her heart started to race as she opened up Lexa's message thread in her phone. No... That was the only text she'd ever received from Lexa!!

Oh God. Then ... Her thumb scrolled down her recently received texts. There it was...

**From: Niylah ( 9:08 )**

**Free for coffee tomorrow 1:15pm? X**

Clarke sat miserably on her bed. Why?? How could she be such an idiot! Wishful thinking and Fucking blinding sunshine! Now she had to have an awkward meet up with a woman who spent a few drunken evenings with Clarke's tongue down her throat. 

**Sure! I'll meet you outside The Ark Coffee House. Can't wait. X**

Fuck. Even her reply was cheerful and excited God. What if Niylah thought it was more than a friendly coffee??

Clarke groaned and fell back onto her pillows with her arm covering her eyes.

She should have realised it was too good to be true!

Though... Lexa did actually just text. The _real_ Lexa.

Clarke removed her arm from her eyes and quickly picked up her phone.

* * *

_**Polis Beachside Caravan Park** _

* * *

**From: Clarke ( 18:26 )**

**Lunch sounds great! Let me know when you're free and I'm yours :) enjoy your evening too Lex. ~ C**

Lexa's dopey grin was back in full force! She said Lex... Like they were super close! No friend had ever called her anything but Lexa. (Which she was happy about!) But Lex coming from Clarke...that was a different story! If she wasn't so busy doing the Snoopy dance in her head, she'd have sure over obsessed about the 'I'm yours' part too. But Lexa's little heart could only cope with one thing that left her breathless at a time!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next chapter will be almost all Clexa!  
> I apologise it's not as long or Clexa filled this time.  
> I'm having a tough week and it's only Wednesday 😲  
> I thought we could all use a little story time!  
> Stay Safe 💞
> 
> Tumblr - hernightsky


	6. Through The Darkness Into Light

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lexa's not having a great day.
> 
> To begin with!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not really sure if it's a TRIGGER WARNING or not but just to be on the safe side...
> 
> TRIGGER WARNING: mentions of death, car accidents, loss & grief.
> 
> ( Lexa's memories of her parents. Nothing new!)

* * *

_**Polis Beachside Caravan Park** _

* * *

Today was not going to be a good day. 

It started at 3am with a nightmare that was so vivid and so painful, Lexa shot up in bed, drenched in sweat and hyperventilating.

The night she lost her parents. She may not have witnessed the car crash but that didn't stop her brain from playing out every last detail. From the accident, to the heart stopping moment of being told, to throwing up in the nearest toilets...it was all coming back in one heartbreaking surge.

Today was not going to be a good day.

The graphic nightmare took a hold on Lexa and suddenly she was back to being the destroyed girl from 5 months ago.

Gustus had noticed right away as his chipper ' Good morning' was met with silence and red raw eyes.

Anya had tried to lighten the mood a few times by filling the silent moments with tales from her last awkward date. _( " How was I supposed to know that was his sister and not his grandma?? She was more wrinkle than person!" )_

Lexa just sat at the little table in between the living and kitchen area, slowly lifting and dropping the cereal on her spoon and zoning out as she felt and heard nothing...just an emptiness that was filling second by second with grief and darkness.

Suddenly she started to feel claustrophobic, she needed to get out of the tin can on wheels. She stood up quickly, startling her family who just watched on as she threw on a hoodie, pulling the hood up and made her way out of the caravan before anyone had a chance to stop her. 

She took a deep breath in as the fresh air hit her and practically jumped her way off the veranda, her feet only hitting the bottom step. As soon as she had reached the pathway, she had no idea where she wanted to go. 

Costia was walking up the road and smiled her happy, glowing smile as she saw Lexa.

No..I can't... Lexa shook her head to herself and quickly turned and jogged away in the opposite direction. She'd have to apologise to Costia at some point but that can wait for another day. She just needed to be alone...or so she thought.

* * *

_**Polis Beach** _

* * *

The sky was full of thick, grey clouds, like it could vibe Lexa's mood and adapted accordingly to how she felt. The beach was empty, most likely due to the dark skies above. Lexa was grateful for the peace and quiet. She made her way over to the stone steps that ran along side half of the beach and took a seat on one of the higher levels.

The waves were crashing roughly like they too were taking on Lexa's mood. She sat quietly on the steps and allowed the tears to run freely down her face as she thought about everything that she had lost.

Today was not going to be a good day.

She heard footsteps in the distance but paid them no attention, hoping whoever it was would leave her alone.

No such luck...

" Lexa?" An unsure male voice spoke from the very top of the stone steps, a few feet in the distance.

Lexa's brow furrowed. The voice wasn't that familiar to her yet she found herself turning around in that direction.

Wells stood there, looking concerned in his 'ice nation' uniform. 

Lexa quickly wiped her eyes with the sleeve of her hoodie and plastered a fake smile onto her face. " Hello Wells. Sorry, don't mind me! Just having a rough morning." She chuckled but there was no humour to it.

Wells went down a couple of steps but made sure he gave Lexa plenty of space. " Wanna talk about it? I'm on my way to work but I can totally be a few minutes late." His friendly eyes and gentle smile were bringing her a little comfort but she really didn't want to unload her baggage on to a stranger.

" Thanks but that's okay." She attempted another smile. " I just wanna sit quietly for a bit." She tried her best to blink them away but her eyes betrayed her and let a fresh set of watery tears fall down onto her cheeks. She turned her back to Wells once more and pulled at her hood, hoping it would keep her hidden from Wells' sympathy.

Wells was reluctant to leave Lexa alone when she was clearly upset but he knew not to force his attention on somebody, especially on someone he barely knew. 

" Oh okay... Well if you need some cheering up, I'll have a free ice cream waiting for you!" He smiled even though she had her back to him. " I hope you feel better soon Lexa." He spoke quietly and after receiving no response, continued on his way to work while fishing his phone out of his back pocket.

* * *

Her heart had finally given up on trying to control her crying about half an hour after Wells had left. She really was grateful for his kindness but even more grateful that he knew to leave her alone. 

Lexa hated feeling vulnerable, there was nothing worse than crying your heart out in front of others. It left her feeling embarrassed and far too open, with no barriers up to keep her safe. It was the worst.

The weather was still keeping people away from the beach so Lexa allowed the tears to fall freely as she wrapped her arms around herself for comfort. It felt nice but it was no where near as nice as the warmth coming from the hand that was just placed on her back. 

Clarke took a seat next to Lexa, her hand staying firmly in place on Lexa's back as she used the other to wipe the fast flow of tear drops that were falling down onto wet cheeks. 

Lexa looked at Clarke with shame and embarrassment on her face and tried her hardest to control the floods of tears that wouldn't stop falling. She went to move away but Clarke pulled her close and kept her arms around her, making Lexa give up and suddenly she was bawling into Clarke's shoulder and clinging on tight.

Lexa allowed herself to be held and rocked gently in the safety of Clarke's arms. Her eyes were closed and she was focusing on the sweet, soft, soothing words that Clarke was whispering into her over heated ear. _(_ _"That's it Lex, just let it all out. You're safe and I'm not going anywhere.") ("Deep breaths. It's okay.) (" I've got you.")_ her breathing was slowly getting back to normal and the tears had stopped flowing after what felt like hours.

Lexa finally pulled back to take a good look at Clarke. Her hair was pulled back in a messy bun, she wore an old pair of ripped jeans with a blue T-shirt that had old paint stains of various colours splattered in places and not a trace of make up in sight.

Lexa thought she looked beautiful.

Clarke instantly felt embarrassed as she noticed Lexa looking at her closely for the first time since she arrived at the beach. " Oh." She chuckled and shook her head. " I know I look a mess. I kinda ran out of the house as soon as Wells texted." 

So that's how she knew. Wells really is a sweet guy.

"No." Lexa blurted out quickly. "No...I...you look lovely... You always do." Lexa's words were so soft, if Clarke wasn't sitting so close, she might have missed them. 

A light blush covered both their faces.

" Thanks Lex, you too...well..." Clarke puffed out a laugh and started rubbing the mascara that had run down Lexa's cheeks with her thumbs. " Usually less raccoon like! But always beautiful." She chuckled again as Lexa pulled back in embarrassment and started to rub frantically at her eyes with her sleeves. " God, I must look awful!" She only succeeded in making the mascara stains worse but at least her hoodie was a dark enough colour to hide any marks on her sleeves. 

Clarke quickly took Lexa's hands in her own to stop her making her skin raw with all the rubbing " Hey, stop. You're gonna hurt yourself." Her eyes were soft and pleading as she kept Lexa's hands in her lap, giving them gentle squeezes as she spoke.

" You don't have to tell me what's wrong if you don't want to. But if it's okay with you, I'd like to sit here with you." Clarke removed one hand from Lexa's for a moment to push some of Lexa's hair behind her ear and then took a firm hold of her hand once more. " Is that okay?" 

Lexa was working too hard to stop the tears from flowing out again that she could only give a nod in answer. 

Both girls sat quietly for the next few minutes, looking out at the ocean and lost in their own thoughts. Lexa was grateful that Clarke was with her and more so that she didn't push for answers. It made her feel comfortable and gave her the courage to speak up. 

" I lost my parents in a car crash 5 months ago and I'm still struggling with it." As soon as the words fell from her lips, the tears started to trickle down her cheeks again. 

Clarke was so lost in her own thoughts, she startled when Lexa spoke suddenly, she quickly tuned back into the conversation and what she heard broke her heart. 

" Oh God Lexa. I'm so sorry." Clarke felt emotional all of a sudden and did her best not to let her own tears fall. Her instincts told her to pull Lexa into her arms so she did just that, dropping Lexa's hands gently and wrapping Lexa back up into the safety of her arms. 

" I thought I was doing better." Lexa, frustrated with herself, sobbed quietly into Clarke's shoulder.

" Hey." Clarke patted her hand firmly on Lexa's back just the once in gentle warning. "Just because you still miss them and you're still hurting, doesn't mean you're not doing better. Lex, the pain doesn't just go away...things take time and each day you might feel a little better but it's also okay if you don't. Today is just a bad day. Tomorrow, you might feel a bit better again." Clarke squeezed Lexa tightly for a moment. " Don't ever get frustrated with yourself over this. You'll heal when you're ready to heal." Clarke pulled back a little to check for more tears.

Lexa sat up a little and instantly wiped her face before Clarke had the chance to see her looking more like a raccoon again.

" Thank you Clarke." Lexa's watery eyes held Clarke's gaze for a few moments before she found herself looking down at Clarke's lips.

Clarke instinctively licked over her lips before smiling shyly, giving Lexa's hand a squeeze. " I'm here for you, okay? Whenever." She nudged Lexa's knee with her own and grinned.

Lexa nodded and bravely moved closer, wrapping her arms around Clarke once more.

She could swear she felt Clarke's heartbeat quicken as she pressed herself further into Lexa's arms. 

Lexa smiled and inhaled Clarke's scent as she rested her chin on Clarke's shoulder. There was nothing about this girl that didn't make Lexa feel dizzy and light at the same time.

Clarke's phone beeped and her screen lit up from its place next to Clarke on the stone step. Lexa didn't mean to read it over Clarke's shoulder but her eyes just happened to follow the sudden light as it appeared.

**From: Niylah ( 9:14 )**

**Hope we're still on for today! It's been too long...are you as excited for tonight as I am? X**

Lexa felt nauseated all of a sudden and pulled back from the hug so Clarke could respond to her text. Clarke has a date? Of course she does...she's incredible... Damn. Lexa shut her eyes for a second to take in the new information then side glanced Clarke as she was tapping away at her phone. 

" I think I'm gonna take off." Lexa lifted herself slightly without fully getting up. She didn't want to appear rude by just leaving after Clarke took the time to check on her but she also didn't want Clarke to feel like she needed to stay if she had plans.

...plans. Date, Clarke has a date.

" What??" Clarke looked at Lexa in a panic before quickly finishing her text and putting her phone back down. " No...please..I..." Clarke stuttered over her words as she went to grab Lexa's hand but stopped herself at the last second. " if you really want to be by yourself... I get it but if you're saying that because you think you should..., I'd really like to spend the day with you if that's something you would want too..." Clarke smiled hopefully and drew patterns on the stone step with her fingertips.

" Don't you have plans?" Lexa mumbled, sounding more like a sulking child than she meant to.

" Not anymore." Clarke smiled. " I'm exactly where I wanna be. Want to spend the day with me, Lexa?" She raised her brow with a mischievous grin pulling at her lips.

Lexa melted on the spot. Clarke was choosing her company! ...maybe she was doing it out of pity...? No. Don't go there. Clarke is wanting to spend the day with you. Accept it damn it! 

Lexa paused for a moment to gather her thoughts.

" I'd like that." She almost whispered before turning to look Clarke right in the eyes. "A lot." Her lips curled into the smallest grin.

" Great!" Clarke blurted out, far too eager before blushing a little and standing up to shove her phone back into her pocket. Lexa stood too and waited for Clarke to take the lead. She was happy to have Clarke's company but the thought of making decisions right now, was a little too much to cope with. 

" How about we make our way over to the pier and lose ourselves in the arcades for a few hours?" Clarke suggested with a head tilt.

Lexa was just about to agree, when she realised she left the caravan in a hurry this morning and forgot to bring any money with her. Fuck.

" Oh erm. I kinda left my wallet back at the caravan. If you don't mind waiting here, I can run back and get it real quick?" Lexa shoved her hands in her back pockets to stop herself from doing something stupid like reaching out for Clarke's hand. 

Clarke scoffed like that was madness and hooked her arm through Lexa's. " Don't be silly! I got this and by that I mean, I have enough for hotdogs...Wells will totally have quarters though. I'm sure he'd help his bestie out!" Clarke winked and started to drag Lexa up the stone steps.

There was a chance...a small chance, that today could turn it's self round.

* * *

_**Arkadia** _

* * *

Wells was quickly becoming one of Lexa's favourite people. (Not just in Polis!) His face lit up as he saw his best friend and Lexa who was now looking more calm and stable and less like the shaky, sobbing raccoon that he met a couple of hours ago.

He offered Lexa a cautious smile, then relaxed immediately once she smiled back without a trace of anger in it. He was kinda nervous that he had done the wrong thing, getting Clarke involved in Lexa's business without her permission.

After Clarke had sweet talked Wells into giving her four rolls of quarters and two plastic ice cream cups to place their money in, his offer of free ice cream was still on the table. ( For Lexa! Clarke can buy her own!) Lexa thanked him but declined for now and Clarke had once again hooked her arm through Lexa's and dragged her down the pier until they were in front of the biggest most popular arcade in Polis. 

**'ARKADIA'** stood out in big green letters and had flashing lights around each letter. The huge doors that ran along almost the whole side of the building, were wide open and the loud music and sounds from the machines inside, were flowing out and making it hard to hear anything else.

Clarke tugged at Lexa's elbow and pressed her body in close to Lexa's as she moved her soft lips to Lexa's quickly heating ear. " Ready to have you ass whooped by the beach babe??" Clarke pulled back with a smirk.

Lexa was still tingling from the sensation of Clarke's lips so close to her ear that it took her a second to respond. " Pamela Anderson wants to play me??" Lexa tilted her head innocently and tried not to grin.

Clarke scowled, dropping her mouth open in fake offense. 

" So you like blondes with big boobs, good to know." Clarke bit her lip to stop herself laughing and winked at Lexa seductively as she quickly left Lexa's side and entered the arcade.

Did she just...

Did I...

What.

Lexa was frozen to the spot for the next baffling minute, looking like she'd just seen a dog perform a musical number and nobody else had noticed.

* * *

The arcade was lit up only by the colourful machines inside and Clarke was already shoveling quarters into a grabber machine, trying to win a stuffed animal from the big pile of cute, furry creatures that were packed inside.

Lexa melted at the cute look of concentration that was all over Clarke's face, her tongue peeking out as she directed the metal claw inside towards the back of the box, aiming it over the small, furry raccoon that was just peeping out from underneath a giraffe and bear. 

Lexa laughed and shook her head as she realised what Clarke was aiming for, of course there was a raccoon! Her laughter brought her presence to Clarke's attention who smirked without turning round. 

" They always put the really cute ones underneath everything else. It's so annoying." Clarke grumbled then watched as the claw slowly dropped down over her animal of choice, closed its hooks around the ear of the bear and slowly started to lift it. 

Clarke looked hopeful but only for a few seconds.

Almost half way over to the emptying bin, the bear dropped and landed onto a stuffed penguin.

Clarke sighed. " That's fine. At least he's out of the way now. The raccoon will be yours by the end of the night, even if I have to flirt with someone to get it!" Clarke grinned before shoveling more coins into the machine.

Lexa laughed and rolled her eyes at Clarke's determination. " You know these things are rigged, right? That goes for most of the machines in here." She placed her hand on the side of the grabber machine and got lost inside her memories for a moment.

" They never used to be." A smile crept up on her lips. " My dad used to win tons of stuffed toys for me when I was little." The memory almost brought tears to her eyes but this time she was able to stop them from leaking out.

" He never gave up either." She lightly chuckled. " I guess I'm destined to be surrounded by stubborn people." She smiled at Clarke who had stopped playing on the machine to give Lexa her full attention.

" Well that only makes me more determined to win you a stuffed animal." Clarke smiled gently and turned back to the grabber machine. She fought the urge to pull Lexa back into her arms. She was still fragile and Clarke knew any big shows of attention would only make her tear up again. Clarke wanted to make the day easier for Lexa, not add to her sadness.

After Clarke tried and failed to win a stuffed animal four more times, Lexa was finally able to drag Clarke further into the arcade... Only after she had promised to let her go back to the grabber machine before they left. _' Don't mess with a stubborn Griffin!'_ was heard by most of the gaming addicts close by.

Next, they found there way over to a racing game that had two space age motorcycles attached. One in neon blue and the other in neon green. Lexa was practically drooling at the epic bikes and Clarke raised her brow in amusement. "Think you can take me do ya, Woods?" 

Lexa stopped perving over the motorcycles to raise her own brow at Clarke. " Pretty confident. Yes." She smirked.

" Well then, le-"

" Hey gorgeous! " Finn appeared out of nowhere, holding a box of fries and wiping his ketchup stained fingers on his pants while his friend Atom hung out behind him. " you look different... you okay?" His head tilted in concern as he scanned his eyes over Clarke's body, stopping on her breasts for longer than both Clarke and Lexa liked.

" Hey." Clarke sighed, still annoyed that her conversation with Lexa was cut off. " I'm fine...why, don't I look it?" She questioned with confusion.

" What? I mean yea.." He stuttered nervously. " it's just that you normally wear pretty clothes and I don't know.. Make up and all that girly stuff! You just look...different is all." Finn mumbled quietly and elbowed Atom in the stomach as he laughed at Finn's awkwardness.

" She looks perfect." Lexa blurted out of nowhere while scowling at Finn in Clarke's defense. 

Clarke looked at Lexa in shock, a blush creeping up on her skin as Lexa darted her eyes away from the people around her, suddenly embarrassed by her own truth. 

" I didn't mean you didn't! " Finn tried to backtrack. " You just look...-" 

" Sorry I'm not up to your ketchup stained standards Collin's." Clarke sarcastically snapped. " But I'm here to have fun with Lexa, not for your pervy pleasure." She instinctively took a hold of Lexa's hand and gave it a squeeze, making Lexa's heart skip a beat.

" Hey, I'm sorry Clarke." Finn pleaded and gently touched Clarke's free hand with his own, which Lexa mentally tried to burn a hole through. " I really didn't mean anything by it...can I make it up to you?" His best puppy dog eyes came out. (Lexa's were better.) " Want me to show you how to play this??" Finn patted the seat of the green motorcycle.

Lexa scoffed.

" Because I'm a girl so therefore I don't know how to win a racing game??" Clarke asked in disbelief.

" What?? No I.." Finn struggled to get his words out and it didn't help with both Atom and Lexa laughing at his stupidity.

Without another word, Clarke flung her leg over the blue bike and made herself comfortable. " Can I give you a ride, Lex? " Clarke threw over her shoulder and gave Lexa a cheeky wink.

Lexa's ears immediately heated and suddenly she felt as flustered as Finn.

" Yeah...I mean...errr..don't... don't go too fast around the corners. Don't wanna be falling off!" Lexa shyly quipped and got a chuckle out of Clarke.

" Don't worry. I got you." Clarke grinned and then her breath caught in her throat as Lexa's body was suddenly pressed to her back, her legs closing around her own and Lexa's perfume filling her senses, making her dizzy. Maybe she shouldn't be driving after all! 

" Hold... hold on tight." Clarke cleared her throat, her voice coming out anything but confidently.

She could feel Lexa taking a deep, slow breath in as warm arms made there way around her waist and held on tightly. She was so caught up in everything Lexa, that she hadn't even noticed Finn was already on the green bike and waiting to begin a race.

" Don't worry princess, I'll go easy on you." Finn smirked, clutching the motorcycle handles and pretending to rev the engine.

" Ha!" Clarke barked out. " Try not to stare at Lexa's ass too much...it'll be so far in front of you the entire time!" Clarke grinned and turned back to look at Lexa who was quietly enjoying this side of Clarke, especially while being wrapped around her.

" How about we make this interesting?? I win, you let me take you out next weekend? " Finn tilted his head and bit his lip, hopefully.

Lexa stiffened behind Clarke. If Clarke noticed, she never showed it.

Clarke rolled her eyes and paused for a moment. " Fine. I guess, but only because it won't happen." Clarke was now determined to win. Unfortunately, now Finn was too!

The game had started and was now half way through. Finn had taken an early lead but had messed up on a corner, giving Clarke a chance to catch up a little. Atom was cheering his buddy on and finishing the left over fries Finn was holding earlier. Lexa was holding Clarke tightly and praying to the powers above that Finn's bike got a flat tire or that a digital seagull would appear on the track and fuck his bike up....anything to stop that moron from winning!

The finish line was in sight...Finn was coming up to the last corner. Clarke was starting to panic and had sped up...there was no chance she'd be able to turn properly on the corner at this speed, Lexa could see how this was going to end and her stomach turned. Fuck. No way was Finn winning this race!

Finn had a giant grin on his face, his eyes willing his bike forward as he rounded the corner. He was now on a long straight run to the finish line. This was it. He was already picturing the sweet kisses Clarke was going to give him in victory, when suddenly Clarke's bike had screeched up next to his! 

Finn stared blankly at the screen in front of him for a second, his head was trying to work out what was going on. He turned to look over at Clarke but his view was mostly blocked by Lexa, who was practically standing on the back pedals and towering over Clarke. Both arms reaching over hers to take control of the handles as she threw her weight from side to side to control the blue bike.

Finn's confusion and sudden lack of speed was enough for Lexa to fly past him and speed over the finish line a whole ten seconds before the poor guy! Team Clexa had won!!!

No dates for you bitch.

Clarke squealed and turned around as much as she could on the bike to throw her arms around Lexa who was looking pretty pleased with herself. 

" Hey! Fuck that! You cheated!!" Finn huffed angrily and stood up from his bike.

" The race was between the blue and green bike and the blue bike won! Nobody said Clarke had to be the one driving." Lexa grinned cockily. 

" That's not fucking fair! Come on Clarke??" Finn pleaded and tried the puppy eyes again. ( Lexa's... Only Lexa's.) 

" Sorry Finn! We won." Clarke shrugged with fake regret. " Maybe Lexa can show you how it's done, sometime." She winked and got up from the bike properly. Atom was still laughing at his buddy and giving him a playful smack on the back in sympathy as Finn walked off in a sulk. 

Lexa stood there with a big dopey smile on her face as Clarke once again threw her arms around her in thanks.

" Once again you save me! Seriously... The thought of going on a date with that guy makes my skin crawl." Clarke shuddered and took Lexa's hand in hers without thinking.

" Was never gonna let that happen. He's a creep." Lexa glared, her head turning in the direction Finn had left in.

" He really is." Clarke shook her head. " He's been asking me out since we were eight. You'd think he'd get the message by now."

Lexa didn't want to think about Finn any longer and since she still had a hold of Clarke's hand, she started to walk them in the opposite direction to where Finn had gone.

They stopped to play on a few of the candy machines, both pouting like little children as they ended up empty handed at the end of each game. Their luck was really out today! Maybe the money changer machine was the way to go...at least then, you always get something back! 

They were currently sitting inside a spaceship pod and shooting the alien ships that passed by. Lexa only panicked slightly at the beginning, as the roof of the pod came down over them, locking them inside. Clarke had noticed and had given Lexa's hand a squeeze in reassurance, making Lexa nervous for an entirely different reason. 

" That one Lex! Get that one!" Clarke shouted far too loudly from her spot next to Lexa while shooting fireballs at an army of tiny alien ships that were surrounding them. 

" I can't! It's too strong and my health bar is already in the red! It's over! You have to go on without me!" Lexa said dramatically, putting on a show for Clarke. " I'm going to sacrifice myself. Once I'm out of the way, use your blaster gun and destroy the fuckers!" 

" No!! I won't let you die." Clarke pretended to cry.

" It's too late. There's nothing you can do now...the next spaceship commander will protect you!" Lexa let go of her joysticks and sat back in her chair, watching on as Clarke squealed and threw everything she had at the aliens. " DIE YOU PURPLE PILES OF GOOP!!" 

Five minutes later, sounds of celebration flowed through the pod and **'CONGRATULATIONS! YOU SAVED PLANET EARTH!!'** appeared in big block letters on the screen in front. 

" We did it!" Clarke squeaked happily and put her hand up for a high five.

Lexa hit her hand and laughed. " Actually _you_ did it. I failed in my mission." She pouted cutely. " Hopefully your next commander will do better." 

" I don't want the next commander. " Clarke spoke gently as she looked in to Lexa's eyes.

The pod suddenly felt too warm and started to fill with nervous energy.

Lexa started to breath shallowly as her eyes darted to Clarke's soft lips. "What.. What _do_ you want?" Her voice came out far too shaky for her liking.

Clarke's eyes darted to Lexa's lips. " I want..." Her body started to lean in, the same time as Lexa's.

Both sets of eyes looked deeply at each other as...

BANG BANG BANG!!

Both girls flew apart in an instant as something started to hit the roof of the pod. Lexa was pretty sure she was about to have a heart attack while Clarke slouched into her seat with her eyes screwed shut and panting heavily.

" Hurry up in there! Your game finished like an hour ago!" An angry teenage male voice leaked through the pod.

Clarke opened her eyes and risked a glance at Lexa, as her heart started to slowly find it's normal rhythm.

All bravery had left Lexa's body the moment her heart tried to beat it's way out of her chest. She kept her head turned away from Clarke as she frantically pressed the red button on her control pad and willed the roof of the pod to open. What the hell was that?? Was Clarke about to kiss her?? Was she about to kiss Clarke?? Are they going to be trapped inside the space pod forever?! 

Stupid fucking teenage boy! Could he not have waited ten more minutes?!

Once they finally made their way out of the space pod, neither girl wanted to bring up the almost kiss. They figured it was easier to just pretend like nothing happened... Well, nothing _did_ happen! So why was Lexa having so much trouble thinking about anything else?? 

* * *

Clarke's phone had been ringing and beeping randomly, through out the day so she had finally given in and excused herself to go listen to her voicemails and reply to some texts.

Lexa had taken her plastic cup of quarters over to one of the coin pushing machines. The shiny coins inside were stacked and almost spilling over the edges. There were colourful plastic bracelets and keyrings placed on top of the piles of coins and there was a chance to win $5 dollar bills if your quarter managed to fall in exactly the right spots. The whole thing looked like an open pirates chest and Lexa was determined to win _something_ today!

* * *

Clarke had finished listening to her voicemails and was currently sat on a wall just outside of the arcade. Her mind kept replaying what almost happened in the space pod and she needed a minute to herself before she went back inside to find Lexa.

She was about to kiss Lexa...her lips were about to taste the red softness that was Lexa's lips. Lexa leaned in too, right? It's not just something Clarke had made up in her head... They were about to kiss.

Lexa... Lexa who was having a rough day...Lexa who was mourning the loss of her parents... Lexa who was vulnerable. Fuck... Suddenly Clarke found herself relieved that fate in the hands of an angry teenager stopped it. Kissing Lexa for the first time couldn't happen like this...not today. 

Clarke took a deep breath and nodded to herself before hopping off the wall. Today was about about cheering Lexa up. As her friend.

* * *

Ten minutes on and Lexa's plastic cup was almost over flowing with quarters! Once she had gotten in the zone, there was no stopping her. She sank quarter after quarter into the machine until there were so many quarters on the edge of the shelf that they had no other choice but to topple over the side! 

....yes, you could say that she was basically winning back all the quarters that she had put in to the machine in the first place...which is true. But now she had double the amount of coins and a cute green bracelet that she was totally going to give to Clarke! 

What?? Clarke likes tacky bracelets...

Lexa was just about to bend down to collect a new drop of coins that she had just won when something dark and fuzzy was shoved in front of her face, far too close to make out what it was! 

Her brows furrowed in confusion and she took a step back to get a better look.

There in front of her, was the cutest little stuffed raccoon that Lexa had ever seen.

" _**Why hello there beautiful lady! My name is Commander Rocky, the mighty space raccoon and you are my new best friend! "**_ Clarke waved the stuffed toy around, in front of Lexa's face as she changed her voice into a more gruff and manly tone.

Lexa laughed and nuzzled her face into his fur as Clarke made Commander Rocky wrap his arms around her head.

" It's an honour to meet you Commander Rocky!" Lexa mumbled into his chest and instantly regretted it as loose fur now stuck to her lips.

Clarke chuckled and unwrapped the Commander from Lexa's face.

 _ **"The honour is all mine! Now...take me home and cuddle me on thundery nights!"**_ Clarke cleared her dry throat and placed the Commander into Lexa's hand. 

" Thank you Clarke! I love him...I can't believe you went back and actually managed to win him!" 

Clarke felt her face flushing and smiled shyly with a shrug. " My determination paid of." 

" As did mine!" Lexa beamed and shook her full cup of quarters at Clarke.

" Fuck! How long was I gone?? That's awesome Lex!" 

Lexa's ears felt hot and her cheeks started to redden at the praise. " Oh! This is for you." Lexa pulled the green bracelet out of her cup and handed it to Clarke. "Be careful with it, it's precious! ...and also poorly made and crappy plastic." She chuckled nervously and squeezed Rocky tightly to her chest.

Clarke melted on the spot and instantly pulled the green bracelet around her wrist. " My hero." Clarke chuckled and admired her new piece of tacky jewellery. " Thanks Lex. Damn, we're cheap dates! " 

The words flew out of her mouth before she really thought them through.

Both girls looked at each other and quickly tried to scan their brains to come up with a new conversation topic.

Lexa's mouth struggled to form words as it hung open uselessly. Luckily someone close by had just won big, setting the celebration music off which reminded her that she still had money waiting for her at the bottom of the coin pusher machine.

Clarke watched as Lexa bent down to pick up her winnings. If her eyes landed and stayed on Lexa's ass for longer than appropriate, then that was her business! 

Lexa let out a little squeak and shot up to her feet quickly with a giant grin on her face.

" Why so happy?" Clarke chuckled, amused at the dopey grin in front of her. " Someone drop a Rolex in there?" 

"Better!" Lexa started dancing adorably while wafting a $5 dollar bill around.

I could really marry this girl...

Too soon? Yup far too soon! Clarke shook the thoughts from her head and continued to melt at the dork in front of her. 

Such a dork.

* * *

Once they had left the arcade, they stopped by 'Ice Nation' to hand Wells the plastic cup that was over flowing in quarters. He of course told his friends not to worry about it but Lexa had insisted they pay him back and even gave him a little extra for caring enough to contact Clarke when she really needed her.

He insisted they return in the next couple of days to try out the new ice cream creation he'd been working on. They happily agreed of course...free ice cream!

They had spent the best part of the day together and it was starting to turn to evening. The hotdogs had been bought and eaten and Lexa had been looking at the remaining ketchup on Clarke's lower lip for the past five minutes. 

Lexa was sat on the log fence at the entrance to beach while Clarke stood close by with her shoes in her hand and her toes drawing shapes into the sand. " I love it out here at this time of day. It's so peaceful." Clarke spoke, mostly to herself as she watched the ocean.

The beach was almost completely empty by now, just the occasional dog walker or families tiredly walking home from their fun trip out to the fair. Lexa had to agree. She felt so calm and at peace, though part of that was probably to do with Clarke's company. 

" You sure I can't tempt you into coming back to mine? My mom makes a mean cheesecake." Clarke tilted her head backwards to look at Lexa. Her smile was friendly while her eyes lit up cheekily.

Lexa chuckled and shook her head slowly. " I think I want to stay here a little longer but thank you...for everything, Clarke." Lexa bravely held eye contact. " Today started...well, it sucked really and I was pretty sure the whole day was going to be filled with sadness and pain but...you pretty much saved it." Lexa puffed out a tiny chuckle. " You saved me. Thank you Cl- ooft!" 

Lexa had to quickly steady herself, almost falling backwards off the fence as Clarke threw her arms around her and held her in a tight hug. " Anytime Lex." Clarke's warm breath tickled as she whispered into Lexa's ear.

Lexa smiled into the hug and buried her face into Clarke's neck, inhaling deeply. If this is what being Clarke's friend felt like, Lexa wanted to swim in it forever.

Clarke pulled back from the hug slowly and placed a gentle kiss on Lexa's nose. " What the..." Clarke's brows scrunched up as Lexa's nose now had something red and sticky smudged on to it. She used her wrist to wiped it away and frowned even more as Lexa started to laugh loudly.

" Yeah. About that..." A thumb came up to Clarke's soft lips and wiped the remaining ketchup away. 

" That was there the whole time?!" Clarke cried out in embarrassment and buried her face in her hands for a moment. 

Lexa shrugged with a grin.

" You ass." Clarke laughed and took Lexa's hand to her lips, raising a brow mischievously before taking Lexa's ketchup stained thumb into her mouth to lick it off.

Lexa Woods is gay.

Lexa Woods is very very gay.

Today was not going to be a good day...

but then,

As it turns out...

it was!

* * *

_**The Griffin's** _

* * *

" Clarke sweetie, where have you been??" Abby asked with concern, as soon as Clarke opened the front door.

Clarke startled, not expecting anyone to question her as soon as she arrived back. " I told you. A friend needed me, I've been hanging out with her." Clarke finally took her key out of the lock and shut the door firmly.

" But... I don't understand... Honey. You've been looking forward to today for so long." Abby couldn't wrap her head around what Clarke was saying. "You've had your outfit picked out for months and even practised what you were going to say, this was a big deal for you Clarke. I just don't get it!" 

Clarke tried to ignore her mother by walking right past her into the living room but obviously Abby was going to follow. Her daughter had passed up on such a great opportunity and Abby needed answers.

Clarke stopped walking all of a sudden and turn round, almost bumping into her mother who had been following her a little closely. " Mom, stop okay?" Clarke sighed in exhaustion. " My friend was going through a rough time. Her parents are no longer around and today was just a hard day for her. I made the right choice. " Clarke was certain of it.

Abby paused to take in what her daughter had just said. A tiny smile crept up on her face. There wasn't a day that went by that Clarke didn't surprise her. She had a truly wonderful soul. 

Clarke sat down on the couch and ran her fingers over the green bracelet. Abby sat on the arm of the couch and watched her daughter closely before speaking again. " Your art piece won first prize baby." She ran her fingers through Clarke's blonde locks. "Your prize was to meet and have dinner with your hero, Becca Franco...her artwork has covered your bedroom walls ever since you were twelve. I just...I can't believe you didn't go tonight." Abby spoke softly, she didn't want to make Clarke feel bad, she just didn't understand. Becca was her idol!

" I called and apologised. I told them that I wouldn't be able to make it tonight and that they should give the opportunity to the girl who came second." Clarke explained, thinking her mother might be angry that she stood Becca up.

" Honey, I'm not mad." Abby smiled and took Clarke's hand, giving it a squeeze.

" It was a very kind thing that you did tonight, I'm just sad for you. That's all." She kissed the top of Clarke's head and cuddled into her.

" There will be other opportunities to meet Becca." Clarke smiled at her mom and only half believed in what she said. Truthfully, Becca hardly ever did meet and greets and that was why Clarke put everything she had into her art piece. She wanted to win more than anything and when it actually happened, she was walking on air for weeks! 

She would also have to make it up to Niylah who had begged to be her plus one for the night. Seeing as they had agreed on coffee that afternoon, Clarke didn't have it in her to say no.

After a little cuddle time with her mom, Clarke dragged her aching feet up the staircase to her bedroom and collapsed on her bed with her phone in hand. Her friends had been bothering her all evening. Everyone wanted to know how her dinner with Becca was going. Clarke hadn't shut up about it ever since she won.

Clarke pulled up her mailbox on her phone and read through a few of the messages.

**From: Octavia ( 15:13 )**

**Tonight is the night!! Maybe you'll finally shut up about it now. (Kidding...kind of.) Enjoy princess xxx**

**From: Wells ( 16:33 )**

**Still with Lexa? Damn. Maybe I should've stayed out of it. I'm sorry you're missing out on meeting B.F. I hope Lexa's okay :) you're a great friend Clarke.**

**From: Raven ( 17:06 )**

**Griff put your tongue away! Unless Bex told you otherwise...Seriously though, proud of you! Go show them how awesome you are! X**

She really did have great friends.

Meeting Becca Franco would've been incredible. Getting to discuss her latest work and being able to ask all the important questions that she had written down and added to, each day.

It really was a dream come true. Her art piece was chosen by Becca herself! She saw something in Clarke's work... Something different. Special. 

Clarke looked up at her ceiling and started to visualise patterns using the cracks and chips in the paint as outlines.

*Beep*

Clarke sighed as another text came through and patted around her bed until she located her phone.

It was a picture message from Lexa.

Clarke sat up immediately, a giant smile breaking out on her face as she stared at the picture in front of her.

It was a picture of the beach with two giant words drawn deeply in to the sand.

**'THANK YOU'**

_Totally and Completely worth it._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A bit of a longer chapter! 
> 
> My signal will be sketchy for the next couple of weeks so there may not be a new update for a little bit. Hopefully this chapter will keep you going! 😃 
> 
> Who else is ready for Autumn/ Fall ? 😰 
> 
> Between the heat and the lightening, I'm about ready to move beyond the wall Into ice walker territory! ❄ Think Azgeda will accept me? 
> 
> Stay safe 💖
> 
> Tumblr - hernightsky


	7. Uninvited Guests

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lexa apologises for the day before. Clexa hang out...with an annoying third wheel. A neighbour stops by. Other things happen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back! 😀  
> Did you miss me??  
> No?  
> I missed you. 😢

* * *

_**Polis Beachside Caravan Park** _

* * *

**From: Clarke ( 7:45 )**

**Good morning Lex! You are probably sleeping in...what time did you finally get back, last night?? I really enjoyed spending the day with you.** **~ C**

**To: Clarke ( 7:48)**

**Hello Clarke :) I really enjoyed it too. You turned my shitty day around! I can't remember when I got in, it wasn't too late, though Anya locked me out and I had to climb through a window.**

**From: Clarke ( 7:55)**

**Ha! Wow. She is a wonderful human...if that's how she treats you when you're down, I can only imagine what she's like when you're happy!**

**To: Clarke (8:06)**

**She's just Anya...she probably thought that I'd have to knock to get back in and then she'd be right there for when I returned and she could try and get me to cry it out... She's a pain but she has a soft side. Sometimes :)**

**From: Clarke (8:11)**

**I'm glad you have that around you :) if you feel up to it and want to, I'd love to hang out again this afternoon... Maybe you could come over? I make a mean bagel! ;)**

**To: Clarke (8:16)**

**Don't be so hard on yourself... I think you're a very sweet bagel! ( lame attempt at a joke...are you laughing?) That sounds great :) I'll see you soon Clarke.**

Lexa sat up in bed with a large grin on her face. Clarke woke up thinking about her! She felt such a relief that she hadn't scared Clarke away with all of her baggage. 

Clarke Griffin was special. Lexa felt happy in her presence, she felt lighter and warm and maybe just maybe...her heart was capable of healing after all.

Lexa checked the time on her alarm clock and slouched back against the headboard with a sigh. It was still early. Gustus could be heard making his way down the corridor, humming to himself as he went to start breakfast. Lexa smiled and ran her hand through her wild bed hair. She was incredibly lucky to have her uncle and cousin, the two most loving and protective people Lexa had ever met. They worked so hard and took on as many extra hours as they could, just to go and spend it all on a break away for their struggling niece and cousin. They meant the world to Lexa, she hoped they knew it.

Her mind started to wander... she had left the caravan in such a distressed state yesterday. The walls felt like they were caving in and she just needed out. A wave of guilt flowed through her as she remembered how rude she had been, ignoring Gustus and Anya's attempts to start conversations. God, she ran away from Costia too... A lot of apologising was in order.

" Arrgh fuck it! Dad! I think we're out of gas!!" Anya's voice came out trembling and screechy. The freezing water from the shower, making her breath catch in her throat as she tried to press up as close as she could to the glass door, hoping to miss the spray falling down around her.

Lexa chuckled quietly. 

Well I guess that solves the 'how to approach Costia' problem. Lexa nodded to herself then picked up Commander Rocky the adorable space raccoon that Clarke had won for her. He had spent the night cuddled up in Lexa's arms and quite possibly got drooled on once or twice. ( four. It was four times.) 

" Well little dude. Got any advice on what to say?" Lexa's voice came out softly as she scanned Rocky's face for help.

A second of silence went by, followed by an exhausted sigh from Lexa.

" Nope. Didn't think so." She rolled her eyes at herself and placed Rocky back down on her pillow. It was time to women up!

As Lexa opened her bedroom door, she was greeted by the sight of Anya wrapped in a fuzzy towel, shivering dramatically as her wet hair made droplets all over the floor.

" Ya know, a cold shower is supposed to be really good for you. Wakens up the body and mind." Lexa tried and failed to stop the grin appearing on her face.

Anya glared at Lexa for a moment while her body still trembled. " Showers free now, squirt. How about I throw you in there? " 

Lexa let out an amused huff as she opened the door to the kitchen and living area. " Thanks but I'll wait until the water warms back up."

" Which hopefully won't be too long." Gus chipped in as both girls entered the kitchen. " I'm just about to head to reception to order a new gas bottle. You girls need anything while I'm out?" He turned away to grab his jacket off the chair and patted at his pants pocket to check he had his wallet.

" Actually wait..." Lexa moved forward then stopped suddenly. Her hands awkwardly pulling at her sleep shorts as she quickly tried to sort out what she wanted to say.

Gustus turned to look at her, tilting his head curiously as Anya plonked herself down on the edge of a seat with her brow raised, trying to cover up her legs as much as possible in her towel.

Lexa's bravery was wavering. She suddenly became very interested in her own feet. " I want to apologise for my behaviour yesterday."

" Lex, it's -" 

"No!" Lexa raised her voice a little higher than she meant to, cutting off Anya. Her eyes instantly filled with guilt as she glanced at her cousin, she felt bad... but it was important to her to get it all out. " I'm sorry. The nightmares came back and it all got too much...I didn't mean to act the way I did. I ... I'm so grateful to both of you and I love you...I.. I'm sorry." Lexa's voice started to tremble near the end but she managed to get out everything she wanted to say before the first tear fell from her eye. 

Large arms were quickly wrapped around her as she buried her face in Gus' shoulder. " It's all okay kiddo!" He hit her back in hefty, reassuring pats and pulled her in close. " you have nothing to be sorry for, okay? You're a wonderful kid who had something truly heartbreaking happen to them... It's only natural to have bad days. We don't take it personally, do we love?" Gustus raised his chin at his daughter in question.

" Speak for yourself...act that way around me again and the grouch is gonna have a new lodger in his trash can." Anya deadpanned before smirking slightly and winking at her cousin over Gustus' shoulder.

Lexa chuckled and pulled back from Gustus' arms to smile at her family as she wiped the last of her tears with her arm." I'll take care of the gas. I kinda need to apologise to Costia too." Her brows furrowed in thought as she tried to picture how that would go.

" Oh yeah? Is that who you were with? I thought you ran off to be alone. I'm glad you weren't though." Anya started to untangle her wet curls with her fingers, leaving water drops on the dinner table.

" Oh no. I mean I did...I wanted to be alone so I kind of ran away from Costia." Lexa let out an embarrassed chuckle. " But then Clarke found me and.." She shrugged and looked over her shoulder, away from Anya's questioning gaze. " we hung out at the arcade and she kind of took my mind off everything. She's special. " Lexa smiled before catching herself and with panicked eyes, turned to stare at Anya.

Fuck. Why the heck did that come out?! 

Clarke was special but her fucking family didn't need to hear about it!!

Anya was studying Lexa with an amused glint in her eyes. Gustus didn't seem to notice the sudden change of energy in the room and lightly punched Lexa's shoulder. " That's great honey! I'm glad you're making friends and that Griffin kid is a sweetheart. Her dad's a good guy too. Sold me a new fishing rod for half the price!" Gustus shook his head in disbelief. " beach folk are so laid back." 

Lexa smiled politely at Gus then bravely peeped back in Anya's direction. Fuck. Anya was still studying her with the same damn expression on her face. She was starting to feel the urge to escape again when she remembered something with relief...

Gas.

" Okay well I need a shower so I'm going now!" Lexa rushed the words out as she quickly grabbed a jacket from the hook by the door and left before Anya had time to say anything else.

* * *

The final stop on the apology tour.

Lexa was taking her time on the gravely path, she wanted to have her mind set on what she was willing to say. Costia was a friend but Clarke was ...something more. It felt natural to explain and open up to Clarke. She had a way of making you feel safe in her presence, like you could be vulnerable and she'd still be there, holding your hand and carefully taking in each unguarded word. 

Costia, while lovely just didn't bring out the same feelings in Lexa.

A few wandering tourists passed by with friendly smiles as they made their way back to their caravans and Lexa scratched the ears of a pretty cute puppy as it made it's way over to chew at her laces. There was nobody waiting outside the reception office, wanting to check in or out as Lexa walked up to the entrance. It was the first time Lexa had seen the area looking so empty. Maybe no staff were available to help out tod-

" Lexa." 

Costia smiled warmly as she came walking out of the back room, holding a couple of cardboard boxes and clipboard in hand.

Lexa gulped and cleared her throat nervously. " Costia, hey." She waved slightly before shoving her ridiculous hands in her back pockets.

Costia could sense the nerves flying off Lexa and decided to help the poor girl out. " It's another gorgeous day outside, what brings you into my dark, cold lair?" Her dark brown eyes sparkled as she grinned at Lexa.

Lexa chuckled gratefully at Costia's welcoming joke. " The gas has run out. We need a new bottle please." She started to shuffle uneasily on the heels of her feet as her eyes darted all over Costia's face. " Surprised you couldn't hear Anya's shrieking from the sudden cold shower she found herself in." Lexa grinned.

Costia let out a chuckle and tilted her head in thought. " Ohhh that's what that was?? I thought it was the siren letting us know that Harry Potter has apparated into town. " she huffed out a laugh at her own joke then rolled her eyes at Lexa's oblivious face.

" The deathly hallo...never mind." She shook her head. " I'll get Lincoln to swing by with a new bottle asap." 

" Thanks... Costia." Lexa quickly grabbed Costia's wrist to stop her from wandering away to the back room. "I'm really sorry about running away like that yesterday..." Lexa hoped the sincerity in her words were showing in her eyes. " I feel kinda crappy about it. I was having a rough morning and I just wanted to... _had_ to get away from everything. It was rude of me to run like that so, I'm sorry." Her hand finally let go of Costia's wrist and she glanced back into soft, kind eyes.

" It _was_ a little strange at the time but I get it. We're all good Lexa, don't worry." Costia smiled and tapped Lexa on the nose gently with the clipboard.

Lexa finally felt a lot lighter as her shoulders started to untense. She was surrounded by understanding people and she once again felt so lucky to have these wonderful people in her life.

" Now, make yourself useful and start unpacking the rest of the holiday brochures while I get Linc on the walkie." Costia shoved some scissors into Lexa's hand and shot her a cheeky wink as she pushed her over to the waiting boxes. 

* * *

_**The Griffin's** _

* * *

It was nearly twelve in the afternoon and that meant that Lexa could turn up at any moment. Clarke had spent the morning getting ready and picking out the cutest outfit she could find, she wanted to look good after the disaster of her appearance that was last night. She hadn't really thought about it at the time, far too worried from Wells' text to think about what she was wearing and wanting to get to Lexa as quickly as possible. A stained T-shirt she wore when painting, a pair of tatty jeans and her hair thrown up in a messy bun to hide the fact it hadn't been washed yet, made her cringe now she had time to think about it. Throw in the fact she wore no make up and she's pretty sure she forgot to remove the spot cream and God! No...today she had to make an effort. 

As she was dressing she glanced at her favourite painting that hung above the mirror. It was painted by her idol Becca Franco and was bought by her dad for her last birthday. The painting was of a silhouette of a woman sitting in the multicoloured petals of a rose, surrounded by the night sky. It was beautiful and magical and each time Clarke looked at it, she felt at peace. 

She'd love for her own artwork to have that affect on people one day.

A smile crept up on her lips as she tugged her boots on. It really would have been incredible to meet Becca...

There was not a doubt in her mind that she'd do the same thing all over again though. Lexa needed her and to be the one who could help her through it...well, that was worth a million Becca Franco meetings!

Clarke was brought out of her thoughts by the squawking sounds of seagulls passing by. A sound she was unfortunately used to and one of the few downsides of living so close to the sea. 

She went over to her bedroom window to tell them not so politely to 'fuck the hell off' when her eyes were quickly drawn down to the Griffin car.

" Oh you've got to be fucking kidding me!" Clarke groaned out the window.

" Language Clarke." Jake scolded from outside, tilting his head up to Clarke's window. 

" Sorry dad but look what those fuuuu..lipping seagulls did to the car!" Clarke whined and ran her hand through her hair in disbelief.

Jake chuckled. " Nice save. I know... It's like a bunch of them held a pooping contest last night or one seagull ate something dodgy and couldn't make it back to his home in time...we've all been there." Jake sighed in sympathy.

" I doubt that was just one...what?" Clarke tilted her head in question. She didn't hear that...right? 

" What?...nothing. Huh?" Jake quickly picked up his surfboard and walked off at a brisk pace.

Damn. Lexa can't see the car looking like this...

Maybe if she was quick, she could get it clean again and still have time to change back into her chosen outfit before Lexa arrives.

...let's hope Lexa stopped to count seashells or got temporary distracted by adorable puppies or something! Clarke sighed and went to change Into clothes she didn't mind getting dirty.

The sun was beaming down heavily, leaving Polis beach in a blinding white light, the rays hitting the waves so intensely, it made it hard to look directly at them without sunglasses. Luckily Clarke was prepared, wearing her favourite shades that made her look like a movie star. She had thrown on a pale green T-shirt that was extremely baggy in the front and showed far more cleavage than what was probably appropriate.

Her mother had bought it for her a few months back...Clarke was offended at first at how massive her mother must've thought her boobs were. ( _" Mom! Seriously?? I could shoplift two watermelons in this thing!")_ but after it got her free movie tickets for a month from an awkward teenage movie usher and first dibs at the cleanest paintbrushes in art class, she'd decided she was pretty okay with it! She had also put on a pair of black shorts that she wore whenever she wanted to get some colour on her pale thighs and her white flip flops that her mother had a habit of stealing whenever she wanted to relax on her rare evenings off from the hospital.

Clarke sighed as she plonked down her bucket of soapy water, lifting her shades up and placing them on top of her head as she really looked at the mess over the car for the first time. It was absolutely covered in bird crap! It was hard to find a part of the car that had been missed out. " fucking neighbours. " she huffed as she took the soaped up sponge and took a first swipe over the car. Her annoying neighbours had a habit of feeding the seagulls, which was never a good idea! An army of crapping machines would fly down, squawk at their loudest to inform their pals that it was lunchtime and then leave a mess over everything as a thank you! Cheeky skyrats! 

It took about seven minutes for Clarke to get lost in what she was doing. To be honest, there was something really relaxing about taking something dirty and making it clean again. Clarke loved to get lost in her own mind while cleaning, she'd think about her next drawing or what the last year of school was gonna be like....Lexa. Yeah. That was a new subject that had taken up a lot of space in her mind lately.

Clarke smiled to herself as she remembered Lexa's gorgeous laugh and the cute thing she does with her eyebrows when shes thinking. God, Clarke had it bad for the girl. Her mind was just about to replay Lexa's sexy smirk when she was quickly brought out of her thoughts by the sound of shoes squeaking in the now soapy grass.

Clarke startled.

Lexa was stood there in a daze with unblinking eyes and her mouth dropped open, like she was front row at a strip club.

But why would she...Clarke suddenly took a look at herself. Oh God! She was so lost in her own thoughts, she hadn't realised she was half on top of the car bonnet, trying to reach the centre of the windscreen with her sponge! No wonder Lexa was frozen in place...there Clarke was in her baggy shirt with her boobs pressed into the glass and her leg thrown over the hood of the car, showing her ass off to any lucky neighbours who happened to be wandering about! 

"Lexa!" Clarke screeched out. " Hey! I'm so sorry. I wasn't expecting you just yet." Her heart was pounding as she quickly jumped off the car and pulled the loose material of her clothes, closer to her body. Why...why did Lexa keep seeing her in unfortunate outfits?? Clarke whined in defeat and absentmindedly glanced up at her bedroom window, picturing her nicely laid out clothes on her bed.

It took Lexa longer than normal to register the words just spoken to her... Never in her seventeen years of life would she ever imagine walking into a sight so breathtaking as Clarke straddling a car while covered in soapy bubbles. " ...hh..hey Clarke. um .. Sorry, i.. I didn't mean to startle you...I can..I can come back later if you um.."

"No!..I mean...stay, it's..it's fine Lex, you just caught me off guard and well..." Clarke looked down at her outfit and huffed out a defeated chuckle. " I'm getting used to looking like a mess in front of you now, so..." She shook her head in amusement at the situation and used her bare arm to wipe the water off her face, leaving mascara tracks down her wrist and God, now it's all smudged and can she just give up and try again next year??

Lexa tried not to smirk at the scene in front of her but it was too difficult. Clarke looked like a frustrated panda who just wanted to run away! Lexa's insides were melting all over the place as she slowly made her way over and used her thumb to wipe the black smudge from the corner of Clarke's eye. " Like I said. You always look lovely. " Lexa held eye contact to show how deeply she meant it.

Time stood still as neither girl backed away from their close proximity to each other. Lexa's eyes dropped down to Clarke's open lips as Clarke's eyes darted all over Lexa's face, her shallow, nervous breaths sending little puffs of minty warmth towards Lexa's trembling lips, making her lick over them quickly. Clarke's eyes drifted down to watch as her heart felt ready to pass out.

All it would take...just one step closer.

" Damn Griff! The cars supposed to get wet, not you!" Raven grinned as she walked up the path, lifting her sunglasses to send a wink at her flustered friend.

Clarke jumped back from Lexa so dramatically that her feet tangled with the bucket of water behind her and with two failed grabs of Lexa's hand and a loud pitched squeal, Clarke landed flat on her back in the grass with freezing cold water soaking into her clothes. 

~~Oh.Holy.Fuck.No.~~

Raven Reyes...of course. Why would today go anywhere near what Clarke had planned?? Clarke Griffin was a kind, loving person damn it! Why didn't this crap happen to mighty mouth Reyes instead?! 

Lexa stood still once more in shock, this time with her hand covering her mouth and losing the battle she was facing with laughter.

Least she had the decency to try...

Raven on the other hand, was crumpled over in tears, gasping for breath as she laughed so hard, no sound came out. 

" Oh God, I'm gonna piss myself!" Raven panted out as tears streamed down her face. " That was the fucking funniest thing I've ever seen! The look of terror on your face as you were falling...oh God! I can't breathe!! Why wasn't I filming this shit?!" Raven fell to the ground, still howling with a look of pure bliss on her face.

Clarke sat up and rolled her eyes at the bitch then whined as she pulled at the soggy material of her now super tight shirt and shorts. " Well, I don't know about you, but I'm having a great day so far." Clarke quipped sarcastically as she smiled up at Lexa.

The brunette chuckled in sympathy and quickly put her hands out to Clarke who took them gratefully and used Lexa's strength to help herself up from the wet grass. " Look on the bright side. It's a beautiful day, you have my wonderful company and your friend looks like she might pass out soon..." Lexa shrugged. " It's only noon." The smirk on Lexa's lips made Clarke's insides turn to jelly. How could one person be so gorgeous.

Clarke let out a soft chuckle and looked at her mess of a friend on the floor. "True. With any luck a seagull might fly off with her."

" It would have to be one stronger ass seagull." Raven grinned as she turned over in the grass to look up at the blonde. " Gonna introduce me to your girlfriend or what?" Raven glanced over to Lexa whose face was starting to heat up.

" She's not...we're not." Clarke panicked and stuttered. " This is Lexa." She gave the brunettes hand a squeeze in reassurance. " Lex, this is my awful friend, Raven. Please don't judge me by anything she does or says..." Her eyes pleaded in Lexa's direction.

Lexa smiled at Clarke then looked down at Raven on the ground. " Nice to meet you...I think." A nervous chuckle escaped her lips.

" Pleasures all mine, hot stuff!" Raven winked at Lexa as she turned on her side in the grass, propping her head up on her hand. " You look familiar... Have we made out?" Her eyes started to scan over Lexa with a raised brow as she tried to place where she had seen her face before.

Lexa's ears started to burn and her heart was thumping all over the place. No girl had ever spoken to her so confidently and easily about a subject she was so shy and uncomfortable about. Damn. Even Anya broached it cautiously! " What?? No.." Lexa rushed out in a panic making both girls around her, chuckle.

" Easy there. You'll hurt my feelings... " Raven sat up and pulled her shades down over her eyes. " Did we date? Share a drunken kiss at a party? Oh! Were you the girl I felt up at the zoo that one time??"

" No. No and God, I hope not!" Lexa huffed out. Were her cheeks burning??To Lexa they were on fire! Clarke's husky voice filled her ears before she had time to panic and pass out.

" She's none of those things Rae. Thank fuck! You saw her at the Dropship...infact, you hit on her cousin. " Clarke laughed as Lexa's face scrunched up in disgust.

" I did?" Raven's head tilted to the side.

" Yeah. You called her 'cheekbones' perved over her ass and drooled over her as she brought over a salt shaker for your food."

" Your cousin is salt shaker girl?!!" Raven sat up straighter all of a sudden. "Oh man. I've been waking up in hot sweats over that chick! ...Other wet things occurred too."

Lexa balled her hands into tight fists as her glare attempted to burn a hole through Raven. 

" Easy Lex." Clarke quickly stood in Lexa's line of vision. The anger fell away in an instant, maybe from Clarke's soft tone or maybe from the hand gently pressed to her stomach. " Raven's an unfiltered dumbass but she's harmless. " Clarke reassured before turning to burn her own hole through her exhausting friend.

Both of Raven's hands were up in surrender. " I come in peace...ya know, unless I'm with someone who likes a screamer..." She shrugged.

Clarke shut her eyes in hopes that Raven would mysteriously disappear by the time she opened them again. 

" Smudge... " 

Her brows furrowed for a second as a new voice entered the mix. 

" Smudge. I think I've got myself all muddled up again!" A sweet voice and a soft chuckle came close.

A small, grey haired woman was slowly making her way over to the Griffin house. Her white dress was covered by a maroon cardigan and her flip flops were caked in wet sand. 

She suddenly took Clarke's full attention. 

" Martha..are you okay??" She hurried over to the older woman and placed her hands on the shaky woman's arms as she checked her over in concern.

" Yes dear, I'm fine but I've lost my house again." The sweet older woman let out a soft giggle in embarrassment. " Are you okay Smudge?? Why are you wet?? You didn't swim in your clothes did you??" Martha asked worriedly.

" I'm okay Martha. I just lost a fight with a bucket of water, that's all." Clarke chuckled and smiled reassuringly. " Let's get you back home, okay?" She glanced at Lexa apologetically. She thought their day together was going to have to wait but then Raven stepped up and reminded her why she was worth keeping around...

" It's all good Griff, why don't you go and clean up and I'll take Martha home. We have a lot of gossip to catch up on!" Raven appeared next to Martha and carefully linked their arms together.

" Oh how lovely dear! Maybe we can visit that disco you mentioned with all the girls... Is it ladies day??" Martha squeezed Ravens hand cheerfully.

" Everyday is ladies day." Could be heard from Raven as she slowly started walking them away from the Griffin house.

Clarke tittered and watched them leave. " Thanks Rae!" Clarke shouted as the couple reached the gate. Raven gave a thumbs up before finishing off her conversation with Martha.

Just when you're ready to kick the crap outta Raven, she goes and reminds you have soft she is... Crafty bitch.

* * *

_**Clarke's Bedroom** _

* * *

" Wow Clarke." Lexa stood near the back wall of Clarke's bedroom, looking in awe at the drawn pictures that were in photo frames, scattered around the entire wall behind her queen size bed. Clarke had filled the wall with pictures she had drawn of family members and friends. Anyone who meant the world to her was now watching over her as she slept each night. 

Her eyes studied one of the more recent ones of Raven and another brunette girl hugging each other. The picture was incredibly detailed and looked far more like a photograph than a pencil drawing. How the hell she managed it, Lexa will never know. " They're incredible Clarke. I'm speechless."

Clarke smiled from the en suite bathroom. She had now changed into a dry pair of denim shorts and had stopped to wipe a streak of dirt from her arm. " Yeah, she's pretty incredible. The way she just captures her subject perfectly and gets the lighting right each time... She's a fucking genius." Becca's work brought out every emotion in Clarke. It hit her deeply like no other artist. 

Lexa's brow furrowed as she turned her head to the opened doored en suite. What the heck was Clarke talking about?? Did someone else draw Raven?? No. This has to be Clarke's work... She took a quick glance at the rest of the room and noticed other pieces with a totally different vibe. Oh okay, she misunderstood.

" Oh no Clarke, I mean the ones on the back wall. You have a wonderful eye, they are beautiful... I can literally feel the love that you put into each piece." Lexa took one last look with a smile before turning round to see Clarke coming out of the bathroom, in the process of pulling a shirt down over her body. Her ears turned a soft pink, eyes darting away as casually as she could. If a light blue bra was seen, Lexa wouldn't be admitting to it.

Clarke's cheeks were also dusted with a light shade of pink. She of course had compliments on her work before but this was a compliment from Lexa...

" Thank you Lexa." Clarke shyly bit her lip and moved her hair behind her ear, thanking the powers that be that Raven wasn't around to see her turn into a blushing pile of goop. 

" You're welcome...Smudge." Lexa grinned.

" Oh God." Clarke chuckled in embarrassment and rolled her eyes, plonking herself down on the bottom of the bed. " She's called me that ever since I can remember."

Lexa took a seat next to Clarke on the bed.

"She's lived in Polis her whole life and she'd always walk past our house and catch me sitting on the porch steps with paint all over my hands and face and greet me with 'hello my little smudge!' The first time, I was around six I think." Clarke laughed at the memory. " I drew a portrait of her last year that now hangs over her fireplace... She...she's losing her memory." Clarke glanced at Lexa and smiled sadly.

" I mean, obviously she is. I think she confuses me with her granddaughter occasionally too... She's getting old I know, but ...sometimes..I swear, she's so on the ball...I mean she remembers details about my thirteenth birthday party that even I had forgotten." Clarke chuckled and felt a wave of nerves pass through her as Lexa held her hand and started to stroke over her knuckles with her thumb.

" She forgets where she lives a lot of the time but luckily she's well known in Polis and everyone helps to look out for her. There are carers that look after her but she still manages to ditch them every chance she gets." 

Lexa smiled. " She sounds like a trouble maker. Do your folks know you run around with the bad crowd?" 

Clarke's eyes sparkled when she full on laughed at Lexa's daft joke, sending flutters through Lexa's dopey heart. 

She wanted to hear that laugh everyday and see those beautiful baby blues sparkle.

Balls, she was in love.

Right at that moment Lexa's stomach growled.

" Wow, hungry Woods?" Clarke raised her brow in amusement.

" Nah, that was just the lion bar I had earlier. Bwhahaha!" Lexa mimed hitting the drums then the cymbal.

" Wow that was lame!" Clarke cringed and pushed Lexa's shoulder, nearly making her fall off the bed. " I'm embarrassed for you right now." She shook her head at the brunette but it didn't stop the chuckle from escaping her lips.

" You still laughed so I win." Lexa shrugged.

Clarke rolled her eyes and stood up, offering her hand to Lexa. " Come on. We have tons of ice cream in, at the moment. My dad's been buying all of my favourite junk foods lately...I should probably be concerned that he's up to something but..." Clarke shrugged. "That's future Clarke's problem."

Lexa took the hand offered, happily and if she stared at Clarke's ass all the way down the stairs, that was her business.

* * *

_**Polis Beachside Caravan Park** _

* * *

" Want to explain to me why you're here again??" Clarke raised a questioning eyebrow at Raven who had wormed her way between the blonde and Lexa, linking her arms through theirs as they walked down one of the paths that led to Lexa's caravan.

" Well my big boobed friend, there are a number of reasons." Raven raised a hand to count them off on her fingers. 

" Firstly, Martha's carer kicked me out after I helped myself to a second muffin... Secondly, It's a beautiful day to be out with friends...Thirdly, Octavia decided to abandon me for two weeks... Fourthly, Lexa's cousin is super hot and close by, I can feel it and fifthly, .... I love you!" Raven quickly turned an licked a stripe up Clarke's cheek before she could stop her.

"Oh! God. Rae!" Clarke groaned and laughed, wiping the drool off her cheek with her shoulder. " You're the worst." 

" Chill Griff, it's not like you've never had my tongue before." Raven winked and squeezed both girls closer to her.

" Okay that was a ten second kiss on a drunken dare. It doesn't count and I've tried to wipe it from my memory." Clarke defended and glanced in Lexa's direction. If she noticed the redness in Lexa's cheeks and ears as she tried her best to look as casual as possible, she didn't mention it.

" Actually it was more like twenty seconds and stop getting your bisexual panties in a twist. I'm a fucking great kisser. Here, let me prove it. Lexa, you wanna make out? You're into girls, right? " Raven tilted her head in question as she asked before moving forward, getting ready to make her move.

Poor Lexa's mind was too busy focusing on the bisexual part, that her brain took too long to hear the rest of the conversation and now Raven was leaning in! Oh hell no! 

" Woah wait. What? No..I..I don't.. err." Her words were stumbling out in a panic as she quickly held Ravens arms and kept her away. 

" Raven. Stop and get your ass over here!" Clarke huffed in anger and dragged Raven away by the back of her pants. " Sorry Lexa, ignore her. She's got no boundaries." The blondes eyes never stopped scolding Raven as she apologised for her friends behaviour. Lexa's personal life had nothing to do with her nosy friend!

" It's.. It's okay Clarke." Lexa's voice came out a little too soft but she was more focused on cooling her heated face back down to worry about it. Almost being outted and finding out your crush likes girls, is a whole lot to deal with in less than a few minutes!

" See! You worry too much Griff. Lexa's fine with it!" Raven stuck her tongue out at Clarke while walking backwards. If she was paying attention, she'd have noticed the other girls had stopped moving. 

" Lexa's fine with what?" 

Raven startled at the unfamiliar voice of the woman she had just walked backwards into. 

Anya stood just outside the Woods caravan in a pair of black shorts and an open, loose white shirt over her bright pink bikini top. Her eyes were glaring at the loud mouth who had just stumbled into her.

Raven's jaw dropped. Anya was without a doubt, the hottest woman Raven had ever seen and Raven would happily admit, she's seen a lot of women! 

" Hello cheekbones. It's been too long." The flirtatious tone in her voice made everyone but Raven cringe... She was good at this! What was everyone's problem?! Raven. Reyes. has. game.

" Do I know you?" Anya asked, looking deeply unimpressed.

...or maybe she didn't.

* * *

_**The Griffins** _

* * *

It had taken Clarke about fifteen minutes to finally say her goodbyes to Lexa without everyone's eyes all over them and another fifteen minutes to drag Raven away from an increasingly annoyed Anya who looked like she was moments away from burying Raven under the veranda.

The hardest part was ditching Raven afterwards. On the walk back from the caravan park. Her friend had rambled on for a good thirty minutes about how hot Anya was. _(" Did you see those lips Clarke?? I wanted to bite down on that bottom lip.") ("She's gotta work out daily. Those abs...fuck.") ("Do you think she likes girls? Oh! We could go on a double date! Do you think she likes Thai food? ")_

But now, Clarke was back at home, able to relax on the couch with her favourite trashy reality TV shows, the strawberry milkshake that her mom had made for her with the fuzzy blanket that her dad had just wrapped around her and a giant tub of ice cream that just so happened to be waiting for her on the table...

Wait.

Something is wrong with this picture.

Clarke looked over at her dad who was sitting uncomfortably on the armrest of a chair, pretending to be invested in Clarke's TV show.

" Daaad?..." Clarke's tone came out accusatory.

Jake innocently looked over.

" How come you're not fighting me for the TV?? Don't you wanna watch sport or something?" Clarke remained suspicious as Jake shuffled about.

" Don't be silly, kiddo. I love this show, where nothing ever happens yet somebody always ends up in tears and that guy some how always has a new pretty girl on his arm when all he does is hurt people and the whole thing is set on an island and ...yea...it's ..yep. TV at it's finest!" Her dad put on an incredibly fake looking smile which made Clarke chuckle.

" Wait! " Clarke shot up in her seat as realisation hit her.

" ...Milkshakes... My favourite ice cream...you've been oddly helpful and kind lately and now you're willing to sit through my trashy TV shows?! Spill it Jake, William Griffin! What's going on??" 

" Clarke, you're being silly...there's -"

"Dad!" 

" Ontari's staying with us for a couple of days! " Jake hurried the words out then quickly guarded himself behind a large cushion with his eyes screw shut, waiting for the high pitched shriek.

_**No. Fucking. Wa-** _

" Hi cuz!" Ontari opened the living room door with the biggest, creepiest grin on her psychotic face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh balls Clarke, run O.O 
> 
> For those interested, the Clexa kiss will likely happen in two chapters time! 
> 
> A Lion Bar is a super tasty chocolate bar ( I wrote bat by mistake. Chocolate bat! ) that we have over here! 
> 
> Also I nearly always forget where the water bucket is and have almost fallen like Clarke on many occasions o.O 
> 
> Summers back 😭 it tricked us! 
> 
> I hope you're enjoying September and staying safe 💖 
> 
> Come and play with me on tumblr! I'm needy and harmless! 
> 
> Tumblr - hernightsky


	8. When Evil Joins You For Breakfast

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ontari makes herself known at the Griffin's. Clarke has a big meeting. Clexa sweetness. Lots of Anya and the badass that is Reyes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Long chapter! 
> 
> I promise I'll give Clarke a break after this O.O 
> 
> TRIGGER WARNING: Slight panic attack details at the Dropship. (Really not too much but just incase.)

* * *

_**The Griffin's** _

* * *

" Clarke honey, can you pass me that notepad near your feet?" Jake sat at the dinner table, scratching his head as he worked on some business forms, a pen and pencil behind his ears.

Clarke's eyes glanced away from her book to shoot a glare at her bold father. The guy sure had some nerve, asking for favours after what he hid from her last night!

Poor Clarke. After the initial shock of seeing her evil cousin standing in the door way, she then had to spend the evening in Ontari's presence and even worse, alone time with her as Abby went to bed early after a long shift at the hospital and Jake had conveniently left to go make some phone calls and hadn't reappeared again till the morning.

" Brave of you to be asking for my help, dontcha think?" Clarke sent a scolding look towards her father as she took her feet off the coffee table and picked up the notepad, throwing it Jake's way with a little extra force.

Abby sighed and picked the notepad off the floor, placing it in front of her grateful husband. " Come on sweetie, you know that you would have bolted for the door and vanished for the next few days if we'd have given you warning." Abby rested both hands on Jake's shoulders, giving them a loving squeeze as she spoke to her daughter.

Her mom was right. Clarke would've been out of there so fast, leaving nothing but a spinning chair and a Clarke shaped hole in the wall..( or she'd use the door like a normal person but you get the point.) Clarke understood why they kept it from her but she still hated to be put on the spot like that. 

" Of course I would! It's the natural reaction when you're dealing with evil!" Clarke whisper shouted incase there were nosy ears listening in. 

Abby joined in on the whisper shout. " We're sorry okay?? We needed as many Griffin's here as we could get! She's a difficult girl to get along with I know but Nia had a sudden business trip and I couldn't say no." Abby smiled guiltily at her daughter.

Clarke rolled her eyes and slouched into the back of the couch. " Fine, but you guys have to do most of the entertaining. " 

" Of course honey." Abby nodded happily now that Clarke was on board.

" HAS ANYONE MOVED MY PHONE? I CAN'T FIND IT!" Ontari bellowed from upstairs.

" Gotta go! Patients to see and all that." Abby had never moved so fast in her life as she picked up her medical bag and stuck her tongue out at Clarke as she hurried to leave before Ontari came down the stairs.

Once the door shut, Jake turned round in his seat to an open mouthed, pissed off Clarke. " Your mother is a beautiful, loving woman...who we will attack later with dirty socks and water balloons. " 

Clarke closed her mouth and gave a firm nod to her dad as Ontari walked through the door, busy mouthing out the words she was texting on her phone.

" Found it then." Jake smiled at his niece who was too wrapped up in her message to bother responding or even looking up in acknowledgement.

Clarke huffed at her cousins rudeness and lightly kicked the back of Ontari's knee, gesturing with her head to respond to her father.

" Huh? Oh yea... I guess aunt Abby moved it off the bathroom sink, even though I had only left to get something out of my room." Ontari sighed at being inconvenienced.

" She was probably moving it to a safer area." Clarke mumbled out from behind her glass of orange juice. 

" Yeah well, she should've asked." 

Ontari really was an ungrateful bitch.

" Honey, what time is your meeting tomorrow, Do you want me to be there?" Jake tilted his chair back so he could see his daughters face.

" It's not till half one and it's okay, you have a surf lesson to teach. Raven's going to keep me company and offer her version of support, so I'm all good!" Clarke smiled.

" Okay well, I'll be on the beach if you change your mind. I can always get someone to cover. I'm so proud of you kiddo!"

Ontari rolled her eyes while pretending to be fascinated in her phone screen

" Dad..." Clarke chuckled and felt her cheeks reddening in embarrassment. " It's not a huge deal...the Dropship wants a makeover and Niylah put in a good word for me...they're just gonna look at some of my artwork and see if they think I'm the right person to design one of the walls there. It's not like i'm having a meeting at an art college." A wave of nerves flooded Clarke's body at her own mention of art college... The thought of sitting in front of professional artists and discussing why she thought her work was good enough to be there and...nope! That's a horror for another day! 

Truthfully, getting to design a wall in her favourite diner would mean a great deal to Clarke but she really didn't want to get her hopes up. Many people loved that place and there was definitely going to be lots of people competing to get their work on the walls.

She'd just have to get through today and then she could put all of her focus on the meeting. 

That task would be a lot simpler without Ontari hanging around but Clarke would just have to deal with it!

* * *

_**Clarke's Bedroom** _

* * *

**From: Lexa (14:18)**

**Hi Clarke! I hope your day is going well. A seagull just dropped a chunk of wet sand onto Anya's head so my day is going great! Good luck with your Dropship thing tomorrow :) x**

Clarke both chuckled at Lexa's text and melted at her thoughtfulness. Lexa was thinking about her. 

A goofy smile broke out onto her face as she neatly piled up a selection of sketch designs she'd specifically been working on for the Dropship wall. There was about seven different designs that the managers could look at and then discuss with Clarke what they had in mind and then she could go from there if they decided to hire her.

She moved the pile to the side on her desk and pulled out a fresh piece of paper. The urge to draw Lexa had been growing stronger by the hour. It wouldn't be the first drawing Clarke had ever drawn of Lexa's face, infact she had a whole sketchbook of Lexa...different angles, close ups of her beautiful green eyes... Her strong hands and delicate fingers... Lexa had quickly become Clarke's favourite subject to draw and the pictures were all safely tucked away in a sketchbook, hidden under the sweaters in her chest of drawers.

Time had passed quickly as it always does when Clarke is lost in her drawings and soon enough a pair of gorgeous green eyes were staring back at her from the paper. Clarke loved to draw Lexa's eyes. It was comforting, like Lexa was suddenly in the room with her and that made everything else melt away. She could stare at those eyes forever. God. What a sap...

Her own eyes scrunched up for a moment as eye strain took over from all of the deep concentration. She gave them a quick rub before scratching a hand through her wavy blonde locks. Her afternoon hadn't been so bad after all, her dad had managed to keep Ontari away for the most part and she had enough silence and peace to get all of her work pieces in order. 

Clarke yawned and stretched her back out, startling a little as her bedroom door swung open. 

Ontari walked in with the usual glint of smugness in her eyes, holding two coffee cups and a fake, overly happy smile on her face. " Uncle Jake thought you might need a little caffeine." Clarke eyed her curiously as she placed one cup on a coaster next to her art pens and then tilted her head in interest as she looked over Clarke's shoulder at the shape of a gorgeous brunette that was slowly forming.

" Well _she's_ pretty. Who is it?" Ontari could feel Clarke's eyes on her but ignored it and ran her finger lightly over Lexa's long wild locks. 

" It's just a girl... a friend... " Clarke started to tense up as she watched her cousins finger trace over her drawing and quickly stopped Ontari's hand from its journey around Lexa's features. " It's nobody you know." 

Ontari paused to look at Clarke, a slow smile came back to her lips.

"Well it's great Clarke. You are very talented." Ontari sounded oddly sincere and moved closer over Clarke's shoulder to study her picture more closely.

Clarke's brows crinkled in confusion, scanning Ontari's face for any signs of meanness, even more puzzled when she found none. " Um thanks, I guess?" 

" Perhaps you could draw _me_ sometime. Add me to the back wall of family members. " Ontari smiled, squeezing the back of Clarke's chair with both hands as she gazed at all the pictures in frames behind her cousins bed. 

" Err yeah, I mean I could if you.." 

Both hands...Ontari had both hands on the back of her chair...but didn't she walk in with two coffee cups??

Clarke looked at the cup that was near her on a coaster...but where's Ontari's cup? 

" Clarke?" Ontari tilted her head, wondering why Clarke's sentence went unfinished.

" Oh my god!" Clarke stood abruptly, her chair pushing back into Ontari, making her stumble.

There on her desk, her art designs for the Dropship sat in a nice, neat pile... minding their own business and now with a hot cup of coffee resting on top.

" My designs!!" Clarke shouted out while quickly lifting the cup off her work, the moisture and heat of the cup, pulling up the first piece of paper with it. 

Clarke's mouth dropped open in stunned sadness as the design she had worked so hard on, now had a big, dirty coffee ring covering part of her drawing. " No..." She whimpered out, quickly turning to the rest of her pieces...the next four sheets of paper also had a coffee ring that seeped though in different degrees.

" No!! You fucking bitch! How could you?!" Clarke suddenly lunged at Ontari as tears formed in her eyes, pushing her back against the wall. 

Ontari tried to cover the terror she was feeling by putting on her best resting bitch expression but it was still noticeable in her shallow short breaths and trembling hands. " Get the hell off me!" She glared with a shaking voice as she tried to get Clarke's arm off her chest that was pinning her to the wall. 

" No! You've gone too far this time...what the hell is wrong with you?? You hate me. Fine. It's not like the feeling isn't mutual but to go and ruin my designs that I've been working on for weeks... For what?? Do you feel better now? Is your life suddenly less pathetic now that you've destroyed something so important to me?! " Clarke's face was so close to Ontari's, she could feel the shaky breaths of her cousin, hitting her face. She wasn't the only one shaking. Clarke was so full of rage, it was taking everything in her not to punch her cousin out. 

" Woah, woah! Girls! What's going on in here?? " Jake could hear the shouting all the way from his office downstairs. He rushed through the door in a hurry and took in the scene in front of him. His furious daughter was pinning his terrified niece to the wall. 

" Clarke??" 

" Look what that bitch did!" Clarke gestured to the pictures on her desk, the tears were flowing out now that her dad had enter the room. " They're ruined!"

Jake walked over to the coffee stained pictures on the table and sighed in disappointment as he picked up the pile of ruined art pieces. " Ontari, why would you do this?" He turned to face his niece with angry eyes.

" Because she's a fucking maniac!" Clarke spat out and shoved the brunette away from her.

Ontari stopped herself from falling over and started to breathe heavily in anger at Clarke's behaviour and attitude towards her. She started burning holes into Clarke with her eyes as her uncle was busy scolding his daughter for her language.

Jake then turned back to her and asked again. " Why Ontari? Your cousin worked so hard on these designs, why would you do this?" His face was once again filled with disappointment. Nothing like the happy, goofball that normally spoke to her.

Ontari looked up at Jake and then over to Clarke who was muttering all sorts of nasty things under her breath. Fuck it. Ontari thought to herself. "Because she thinks she's perfect and she always gets everything she wants! She can't even draw." Ontari scoffed. " If anything she should be thanking me for improving her pictures! "

That was it. 

Clarke threw herself at Ontari and started pulling at large chunks of her hair, making the brunette scream and hunch over in pain.

"Clarke enough! Get off her" Jake quickly pulled Clarke's hands away before she did any real damage. " Both of you need to calm down. We will discuss this like adults later but for now, Ontari go to your room. I'm very disappointed with you kid." Jake was so upset with his niece, he hated having to tell people off but he had to stay firm about this. 

Ontari left the room in a huff, slamming the door shut and leaving behind the sounds of Clarke crying and the soothing, calming voice of her uncle who was trying to provide comfort. Her back hit the outer wall of Clarke's room as she shut her eyes, trying to calm down.

Salt.

There was salt in Clarke's coffee cup. That was all... Ontari thought she'd piss her cousin off a little and then they'd move on. She was so focused on Clarke drinking her coffee that she really wasn't paying attention to where her own cup was. Holy fuck, Clarke lost it! That stupid cow thinks she can say all those things ...thinks she can have everything handed to her and attack me? Fine fuck her. Let the bitch think I did it on purpose, she already hates me anyway! Now uncle Jake is against me because of her... She wants to fight with me? Fine. We'll fight. Ontari smirked to herself and slowly made her way into the guest room.

* * *

_**Polis Beachside Caravan Park** _

* * *

It was 1:15am and Lexa was exhausted. Her day was spent up in the mountains with her family. She really wasn't sure how long it had taken them to reach the top, all she knew was that her legs felt like jelly for the next hour after. Even up in one of the highest places in Polis, surrounded by beautiful views in every direction, Lexa still thought about Clarke and even managed to text her before her signal dropped. 

Gustus had packed a lunch for them and they had spent their afternoon, sitting on a blanket, eating sandwiches and talking about their favourite stories from childhood. Lexa had loved every moment of it. Spending time with her family provided her with so much love and comfort. Two things that she needed a lot of after losing her parents.

They finally got back to their caravan as it was getting dark. Anya had called for a pizza on the way and had exhaustedly dragged herself into her bedroom soon after. It wasn't long before Gustus and Lexa lost the battle with tiredness too and both were now in their rooms, all cuddled up in their beds and waiting to drift off into their happy places.

*Beep*

Lexa huffed and turned towards the blinding light of her phone that had suddenly lit up. Her eyes fought the urge to stay closed as she patted around the tiny nightstand until her phone was in her hand. 

**From: Clarke ( 1:15 )**

**Are you awake?**

Lexa whined and rubbed at her sleepy eyes before giving in. It _was_ Clarke after all!

**To: Clarke ( 1:16 )**

**Slightly. Are you okay Clarke?**

**From: Clarke ( 1:16 )**

**Do me a favour and put on your bedroom light.**

Lexa sat up in bed with a confused expression on her face as she stared at the words on her screen over and over again, checking she had read it right. Put her light on? Why? 

Lexa thought about it for only a moment before reaching up and flipping the light switch that was on the wall above her.

Her eyes scrunched up at the brightness and another whine escaped her lips. All she wanted to do was sleep and not be disturbed for like the next week. Was that too much to as-

*Tap Tap Tap*

Lexa nearly shot out of her own skin at the sudden noise hitting her window. One hand instinctively went to her chest, probably to stop her heart pounding it's way out while the other hand seemed to be gripping on to Commander Rocky's paw. Once she realised she rolled her eyes at herself and chuckled before another tap caught her attention again.

On wobbly feet, Lexa stumbled her way out of bed and kneeled on the mattress of the spare bed that was pushed up against the window side of her room. She pulled the curtains back slowly and her mouth dropped open at the beautiful, blonde sight in front of her.

Clarke was stood there in a light blue hoody and white shorts, looking up at Lexa's window with the cheekiest grin on her face. Man, Lexa really wanted to attack that face in a world of kisses!

Lexa opened the window as quietly as she could and tried not to wake her family up with her baffled yet excitable tone as she spoke. " Clarke! What are you doing here?? Is everything okay?" She lowered her head out of the window so she could hear Clarke's reply easier. The caravans were raised off the ground by large wheels so Clarke's head, barely peeped above the bottom of Lexa's window.

" Can't a girl visit another girl in the middle of the night for no reason?" Clarke grinned, biting her lip at the same time then rolled her eyes at Lexa's concerned expression. " Any chance you fancy a roomie for a couple of nights?" Clarke tilted her head hopefully, the lip between her teeth getting all kinds of ruined in nervousness.

Lexa's mouth dropped open again as she thought about having her crush sleeping so close, followed by visuals of Clarke undressing. 

She lost herself deep in thought.

"Lex?" Clarke started to wave a hand in front of Lexa's stunned face, bringing her back to the moment.

" Huh? Oh! I mean...yeah, of course you can stay over. I'll... I'll just go unlock the front door and -" 

" No need." Clarke grunted out as she placed her hands in the window and started to attempt climbing up the side of the caravan. It really wasn't as easy as she imagined...her shoes tried to grip on to something... anything but there was nothing but a shiny slippery surface. " Oh my God Lexa, how in the hell did you do this??" Clarke let out a whining laugh as she barely made it off the ground.

" Simple. I climbed through a window on the opposite side...you know, where the veranda is." Lexa smirked and placed her arms around Clarke the next time she tried to lift herself. Her gentle Lexa scent mixed with her shampoo was enough to make the blonde melt all over. Clarke shut her eyes for a moment to allow herself time to enjoy the feeling of being in Lexa's arms before she put in more effort and soon enough she was through the window and sitting on the spare mattress. 

Lexa licked over her lips nervously and moved back over to sit on her own bed. The room they were in was far too small for two normal sized people... It was a bedroom made for two small children. The gap between the beds held a tiny nightstand for both small children to share...one child would have to wait in bed while the other was getting up, the aisle between beds barely big enough for one child to walk through...point being the bedroom they found themselves in, was tiny!

The room was filled in awkward silence as Clarke shuffled about on the bouncy mattress, luckily Lexa's brain started to kick in pretty fast and suddenly she was on her feet again. "Okay so we didn't really plan on company so there are no spare bed sheets for that mattress." She scratched the back of her neck as she came up with a solution. " You know what, you take my bed and I'll grab some blankets off the living room couch." Lexa had decided and had already turned to walk towards the door before Clarke stopped her with a gentle grasp around her wrist. " No Lex, don't be silly! I just showed up here out of nowhere, I'm not taking your bed.", Clarke shook her head in refusal. " I will however, take those blankets from the couch though." She smiled warmly and Lexa's heart started to flutter wildly. Clarke Griffin was about to spend the night with her...NEXT! ...next to her...separate beds...two girls innocently sleeping...well one girl sleeping, the other in a big gay panic.

Lexa had come back with two fuzzy blankets that were in the living room and quickly cleared the spare bed of some of her clothes and books that she had laying around, while Clarke was using the bathroom. She also found an old pair of boxers that had found it's self trapped between the wall and the mattress and hoped to the powers that be that Clarke hadn't seen them.

A few minutes after she had placed the blankets nicely on the mattress and had given Clarke one of her pillows, the blonde came wandering back into the bedroom wearing a small white vest top that she must've had on, under her hoody and the same pair of white shorts that she turned up in.

Lexa swallowed nervously and tried not to stare too much as she sat on the edge of her bed. " I hope you'll be comfortable enough...I really don't mind swapping." Lexa went to stand up and move to the opposite bed but Clarke stopped her with two hands on her shoulders as she walked closer. " I'm sure it's fine Lexa, but thank you." The aisle between the beds was _so_ small that Clarke's bare legs were pressed up tightly to Lexa's as she stood above the nervous brunette.

Lexa bravely glanced up at Clarke and gave a nod, trying not to stare, as the small vest top clung to Clarke's bare chest perfectly. Holy hell, a small part of her wanted to jump out of the window. Lexa was not prepared for such a sight! 

Both girls finally got into their beds and Lexa quickly turned the light back off, hoping her heart would stop trying to break it's way out of her chest.

Clarke turned over in the bed and quietly whispered. " Thanks for this Lexa." 

Lexa turned over to face Clarke. " You're welcome Clarke...can I.. Is there a reason you wanted to stay over?" Soft, sleepy eyes tried to find Clarke's in the darkness.

Clarke was quiet for a few moments, looking up at the ceiling before turning back to Lexa again. " Ontari." The name fell from her lips in frustration. " She's staying with my family for a few days and I've just had enough... She ruined my designs for the Dropship." Clarke scoffed. " She knows how important tomorrow is and she tried to destroy it for me." A tear started to run down her cheek and her hand went up to remove it before Lexa saw. 

Lexa noticed.

" I'm so sorry Clarke." Before she could stop herself, Lexa moved her hand across the small gap between the beds and took Clarke's hand softly. " Did you manage to draw up another design in time?" Her thumb gently ran over Clarke's knuckles, soothingly.

Clarke shook her head, forgetting for a moment that Lexa might not be able to see the action in the darkness. " No. I didn't need to. My dad reminded me that I have a brilliant tech friend who can make miracles happen." Clarke chuckled. "Raven." She gave Lexa's hand a squeeze. " She managed to scan my designs into her laptop and take out the damaged part in each picture and then with black markers and steady hands, I was able to fix the pictures back up. They're not perfect but I think they'll work. I just hope they're what the managers are looking for." She started to chew nervously on her lip again.

" I'm sure they'll love your designs Clarke. You're so talented." Lexa yawned, fighting with her eyes to stay awake.

" Thank you Lex." Clarke smiled and tangled her fingers between Lexa's. Exhaustion pulled both girls into a deep sleep almost instantly and by morning time, their hands were still linked together, dangling peacefully between the little gap between their beds.

* * *

10am arrived faster than anyone in the Woods caravan wanted. Anya's door opened slowly and she crawled out, on her hands and knees with a groan. The long trek up and down the mountain yesterday had left her legs sore and throbbing. She huffed and mumbled to herself as she dragged herself along the floor. Both Gustus and Lexa had told her to stretch before their hike but she practically laughed in their stupid, smart faces. Damn. She was never gonna hear the end of it.

As soon as she put her hand on the bathroom door handle, a messy haired blonde came stumbling out of Lexa's bedroom in very short, very revealing, thin, white material. 

Clarke stopped in her tracks, hand still combing through her bed hair as she looked down at Anya who was kneeling by the bathroom, staring at her with furrowed brows and an open mouth. 

" Um, busted." Clarke chuckled nervously. " Hi there...Ahn...Anya. " the blonde stood there awkwardly as Anya rose to her feet with a wince and continued to stare daggers at her. " Beach house Blondie...what are you doing creeping out of my cousins bedroom at this time of the morning? " she raised her brow questioningly and folded her arms across her chest.

" We're having a passionate affair, didn't Lexa tell you?" Clarke tilted her head, the smirk on her lips had quickly disappeared when Anya saw nothing amusing in her comment.

" We're friends... I needed a place to sleep and Lexa let me stay over. I planned to be gone by now but I was completely out of it. I haven't slept that well in a long time." Clarke smiled but it was more to herself with sweet memories of Lexa sleeping soundly next to her.

At that moment, the door behind Clarke opened back up and Lexa appeared in a dark grey T-shirt and dark blue boxers that were covered in star shapes. Her hair was equally messed up and she was too busy yawning and rubbing her eyes that she bumped right into the blonde in front of her.

Clarke caught herself easily and turned to Lexa with a smile while Lexa was quickly catching up to the scene in front of her. Oh God, not Anya...why not Gus?? Why is it always...

" Anya." Lexa greeted with a smile while her eyes darted anywhere else.

" Baby cuz... I was just catching up with your over night guest." Anya's eyes were burning into her, she knew it but she couldn't bring herself to look anywhere other than at the bathroom door handle. It was Gold and round...interesting.

Everyone fell silent for a moment before Clarke looked between both cousins and decided to leave the uncomfortable situation. " Well, I'm just gonna..." She walked over to her blue hoody that was now on a hook by Lexa's wall and started pulling it on. " Thanks for last night Lexa. It was really kind of you." 

Lexa looked up from her daze. " Oh, um. You're welcome Clarke. Anytime." 

Clarke untucked her hair from her hoody with a smile at Lexa and walked over placing a gentle kiss on Lexa's cheek. She then turned back to Anya as she made her way over to the front door. " It was nice seeing you again Anya." The blonde didn't hang about for a response, everyone knew she'd never get.

Anya's eyes followed Clarke all the way out the door before turning back to her dopey cousin who was very clearly blushing from the cheek kiss. "Anything you want to tell me?" 

Lexa shuffled back and forth on her feet, looking oblivious. " You have pizza sauce on your face?" 

Anya paused still glaring before Lexa's words sunk in, her eyes suddenly went wide in panic as she ran into the bathroom, letting out a shriek as she saw herself in the mirror.

* * *

_**The Dropship Diner** _

* * *

" Damn Griff, will you calm down already?? All your shallow breaths are blowing a draft down my neck." Raven shuffled further away from Clarke in their booth at the Diner and pulled the collar up on her red leather biker jacket.

" Sorry. I can't help it. I'm freaking out Rae. What if they don't like my work? What if they do like my designs but want a different artist? What if they look disappointed or even worse, what if they laugh at me?? Oh God. I can't do this." Clarke sat up stiffly in her seat, panicking as her fingers busied themselves by ripping off tiny bits of paper from Raven's water bottle.

Raven's hand came down firmly over Clarke's, stopping her from making more paper confetti. " Clarke. You're like the best artist in Polis and everyone knows it... They are gonna love your designs so stop worrying and take some deep breaths, okay?"

Clarke nodded and kept a hold of Raven's hand for comfort. " Okay. You're right. I need to just breathe and hit them with the Griffin charm. Thanks Rae." She gave her friends hand a squeeze and took a deep breath in then released it slowly.

" No worries, you know I'm here for you babe! You have my full attentioooohhh my god! It's my future baby mama!!" Raven started to smack Clarke on the thigh in excitement while pointing frantically at Anya who was sat at the counter, ordering a coffee from Niylah.

" Oh fuck! Come on..." Clarke tilted her head back and glared at the ceiling while she wished for a break from the powers that be. "Rae seriously, please don't make a scene...not here. I really don't need Anya staring at me while I'm trying to impress these people. I'm already having nervous sweats." Clarke picked up a diner menu and started wafting cool air on herself.

" I won't I swear! I'll just sit here quietly and undress her with my eyes." Raven reassured. " Oh oh! Evil at three o clock! " Raven gestured to the diners toilets with her head as Ontari walked out, giving them a scowl as soon as she heard Raven's voice.

Ontari wasn't the only one to overhear Raven's voice. Anya turned towards the two girls in the booth and rolled her eyes. Of course they were here...

"Oh look! It's my dear cousin with all of her friends." Clarke quipped sarcastically, using Ontari's own nasty line against her. " Feel free to get your order to go... " Clarke sang out with a mean bite to her tone.

Ontari chose to blank the girls in the booth and sat down at the counter, three stools away from Anya who heard the whole thing and was looking at Ontari with a little sympathy...understandable, having no knowledge of Clarke's cousin or her nasty ways.

Back at the booth, Two tall men covered in tattoos and wearing 'Dropship' t-shirts, were shaking hands with the girls and introducing themselves before sitting down next to Clarke who had calmed down instantly.

Ontari could feel eyes on her as she messed around on her phone. She was in no mood to play nice so she snapped in Anya's direction. "What!" 

Anya's brows raised at the attitude coming from the small feisty brunette and smiled to herself as the girl in question, quickly backed down after seeing who she was dealing with.

" Couldn't help but hear the stuff those two girls were saying to you... Take it they're not your friends... " Anya stayed facing forward as she spoke and took a sip of her coffee.

Ontari scoffed at the thought. " Hell no. I have better taste than that!" Ontari shook her head and smirked, keeping her eyes on her phone. " The blonde Barbie is my cousin unfortunately. " 

" She always act like that?" Anya turned to look at Ontari. If Clarke was a bitch, she needed to know.

" What's it to you?" Ontari questioned with a frown.

" My cousin is getting close to her. If she's a bitch, I want to know." 

This was it. This was Ontari's moment...

With an evil glint in her eye, the brunette turned fully on her stool in Anya's direction and put on her best innocent, vulnerable, puppy look. 

" Clarke Griffin is a nasty person and your cousin should stay away...I can't even count the amount of horrible things she's ever done to me." Ontari's eyes watered on cue, like a great actress. " Sorry. It just gets to me a whole lot. She picks on me all the time with her friends... She once even threw my favourite book in the ocean..." Ontari grabbed a couple of napkins and dabbed at her eyes. 

" She uses people. You're right to worry about your cousin...she makes bets with her friends to see who can sleep with the most dorkiest of girls and then laughs in their face the next day as she casts them aside while filming it on her phone." 

Ontari looked over to Clarke and Raven's booth as they spoke to the managers of the Diner. Niylah was standing close by, serving the table drinks.

" She might come off as sweet and kind but that's how she gets away with being a bitch. She even slept with mine and everyone else's boyfriend in town!... Always acting shy and innocent to play her games but everyone knows she's in a relationship with the waitress... If your cousin likes her... She's in trouble. " Ontari took a sip of her drink to stop herself from smirking, she side eyed Anya who was clearly fuming. Her breathing was coming out in sharp, shallow breaths and her hands kept balling into tight fists as she stared at Clarke laughing with one of the guys at her booth... Was this another target of hers?! 

No fucking way was Lexa going to be one of her victims!!!

" Clarke...dude. Your designs are freakin' impressive!" One of the laidback managers held a couple of designs up and tilted his head as he imagined them again the wall.

" I told you she was talented." Niylah smiled proudly as she filled her bosses glass with water.

Clarke blushed and smiled in thanks to Niylah. " Really? Oh thank god. I thought you'd hate my style." She chuckled nervously, clutching her chest.

" Are you kidding?? Your art pieces are futuristic and stylish. I especially love this one." The second manager with spiky, bleach blonde hair, leaned over the table to show Clarke his favourite design. 

" That's right! My girl has all kindsa style! She's a class act!" Raven squeezed Clarke's thigh under the table and winked at the dark haired manager who looked away with a blush.

" Well she certainly knows how to act! You have that part right." Anya was towering over the booth, her eyes never leaving Clarke as she spat her words out.

The whole table looked up at Anya in puzzlement. What was she doing and why was she so freaking angry??

Clarke stuttered on her words before they finally came out. " An..Anya, what..what are you doing here? Are you okay?" 

" Oh I'm peachy thanks for asking Blondie! Now stay the fuck away from my cousin." Anya hit her hand down on the table loudly as she burnt through Clarke with her unblinking eyes. " I know you...the real you. I know you put on this innocent act to cover up the nasty, evil bitch that hides underneath... You're vile Clarke. You might think it's okay to fuck everyone in sight and then break their hearts the next day but you're out of your damn mind if you think I'll let you do that to Lexa! Keep your twisted games away from her you trashy slut or I'll end you!" Anya's face was red with rage by the time she had finished. She wasn't about to wait around for Clarke to respond either...her bill was paid and she was out the door in moments.

The whole diner fell silent.

" What the hell..." Raven muttered under her breath as the two managers looked at each other awkwardly before one cleared his throat and the other gulped down mouthfuls of water. Clarke was still in shock...the nasty rant that Anya had just shouted out was replaying in her head...her heart rate was starting to speed up to the point she could feel it throbbing inside of her head. Her hands and feet started to tingle as her skin started to overheat...she couldn't get enough oxygen... Panic was setting in and she needed out. " I...I'm sorry. I have to..." The words came out almost too shaky and quiet to be heard as Clarke stumbled her way over Raven's legs and took off in a brisk jog out of the back exit of the building.

* * *

Anya was still fuming as she paced around the car park. She needed to calm down before she headed back to the caravan so she could explain everything to her cousin carefully... Fuck. Lexa was going to hate her but she had to look out for her, right? Things would be far worse if Clarke had managed to sleep with her cousin... She was even starting to stay over now so how long would it have taken before that nasty bitch broke Lexa's heart...the poor kid wasn't even sure who she was yet! No. It was the right call. Anya nodded to herself and took a deep breath to calm herself down

The diner doors screeched open and Raven walked out angrily, heading right towards the elder Woods cousin who was now sitting on the car park wall.

" Yo cheekbones what the hell _was_ that back there?! You humiliated Clarke and ruined her meeting! Explain yourself." Raven Reyes would go up against an army of terrifying hell witches to defend her friends and speaking that way to Anya...well it wasn't that different! 

" I just spoke the truth." Anya was not the type to allow someone like Raven to get under her skin. She looked calmly.. Almost too relaxed at the brunette before tilting her face back to enjoy the warm rays of sun on her skin.

" The truth?? I never heard one word of truth in that whole damn speech. You know nothing about Clarke if you believe any of that crap." Raven glared at Anya, straightening her back to make herself seem taller and more threatening... Bless her, she tries. 

" Save it. Her cousin told me everything and I saw how you both treated her...you're just as bad. I hate bullies so I suggest you walk away." Anya warned, her fists tightening again.

Raven rolled her eyes and dropped her shoulders. Now it made sense. Ontari... That should've been obvious.

" Wow. I've gotta hand it to her... She never fails to disappoint." Raven laughed and started to lean against a random car. " Ontari has made Clarke's life hell ever since she was old enough to bite... She's a psychotic bitch who vomits out lie after lie and she hates Clarke out of jealousy. I can't believe you fell for it... I guess being able to read people isn't one of your strong points, is it cheekbones?" Raven baited.

Anya flung herself off the wall until she was nose to nose with Raven. " So I'm supposed to trust your word over hers? Why would I do that?" Anya gritted her teeth and moved uncomfortably close and to Raven's credit, she never flinched or backed down.

" Don't. Don't trust my word. Don't trust hers either! Use your damn eyes and really look at Clarke... You've met the girl a handful of times now, do you really think she's capable of acting that way? " Raven glanced down at Anya's lips before side stepping out of her way. " You might be gorgeous but if you talk to Clarke like that again... _I_ will be the one ending you." 

Anya scoffed and tried to hide her smirk as she looked at Raven's version of a threatening face. " So you're telling me that your friend _isn't_ trying to jump my cousin? " her eyebrow raised in disbelief.

" Clarke Griffin is beautiful and talented and kind and you know what else she is? She's a virgin. Clarke Griffin is a virgin and as one of her best friends, I'm fucking certain on that!" Raven started to pace back and forth.

" That girl has the kindest heart...you know she used to bring an extra lunch to school with her everyday because she knew I couldn't always afford to eat? She even washed cars in her own neighbourhood just to help me pay for a school trip once... She's the best friend anyone could ever hope for and you've hurt her because you decided to trust a fucking maniac over someone you've spoken to for more than five minutes and who is always polite and friendly to you and who cares about your cousin so fucking much...Lexa would be lucky to be in Clarke's life and you owe her a god damn apology!" 

Anya stood still, allowing Raven to get it all out of her system. Had she gotten it all wrong...was she taken in by a jealous cousin...? Fuck, when did this Raven chick get so brave...

" Ontari is a nasty bitch...what you saw in the diner, was two girls insulting someone who had just destroyed art work that Clarke had been working on, for ages for the meeting _you_ fucked up, by the way. She also threw Clarke's sketchbook into the ocean...your cousin can vouch for that! Lexa pulled it out of the water and speaking of Lexa... You know where Clarke was when Lexa was having a shit day? She was right by her side the whole fucking time and you know where she should've been? Meeting the woman whose art she worships... That's right. That nasty, evil bitch turned down the opportunity to meet her idol, just so she could be there for Lexa."

Anya's brows furrowed and she grabbed Ravens arm as she turned to walk off. " What...what do you mean?"

" Clarke entered an art competition to win the chance to meet Becca Franco...she won because she's super talented and it was supposed to happen on the same night Lexa needed her. She chose Lexa because of course she did. Clarke is the best and only you and that psycho can't see it."

Anya dropped Ravens arm and felt the instant urge to throw up. What the hell did she do...

" Griff didn't deserve that and you know it so go and make it right." Raven went to leave then turned back around. " Oh, and don't tell Lexa about the Becca thing or Clarke will crush me with her boobs." She turned and waved a hand in the air, just once in goodbye as she vanished off into the distance. 

Anya shut her eyes and took a deep breath as she ran a hand through her wavy locks. She needed to make things right...preferably without Lexa falling out with her for the next year. 

Damn it.

* * *

_**The Griffin's** _

* * *

Anya had heard the walk to the Griffin's house was a killer...she'd heard but she had no idea it would take so much effort and fill her already aching legs with so much exhaustion. Hell. Walking in deep sand for ages was the worst. No wonder people exercised in it! 

No matter how bad the journey to Clarke's was, trying to pry the address from Lexa without explaining why she needed it, was far far worse.

The short version went a little something like...

_" Give me Clarke's address."_

_"No."_

_"Lexa, give me Clarke's address."_

_"Anya.No."_

_"Lexa."_

_"Anya."_

_"Give me her address damn it!"_

_" What do you need it for?"_

_" It's not your business."_

_" Oh okay then."_

_"Really?"_

_"No."_

Eventually with Gus' help, Anya managed to get the address out of a very uncomfortable Lexa who still tried to find out why and even managed to follow Anya half way down the beach before being detected.

It was early evening and the sun had thankfully lost its heat. The nice breeze in the air at least kept Anya from passing out on her journey. The Griffin's house was in sight or rather the big ass Gnome that sat out front was in view. Anya was almost there.

Clarke was sat out on the porch with her legs up on the railings. She'd made it back home a few hours ago to an empty house which she was grateful for. The blonde was in no mood to explain to her parents, who had already texted their support.

**From: Papa Bear ( 14:15 )**

**How'd it go kiddo?? I bet you knocked their socks off! 👍**

**From: Momma Bear ( 15:45 )**

**Hey sweetheart. I hope your meeting went well. I'm so proud of you baby. Your designs are wonderful. Love you. Home late again. X**

She had replayed Anya's speech in her mind so much that she had started to give herself a headache. Why would she say those things? Oh God, who knows what the managers are thinking! On top of it all, she ran out of the building, leaving all of her designs on the table... Nothing was going right and all Clarke really wanted was Lexa, but instead, all she got was...

" Anya?" Clarke stood quickly as she saw Lexa's cousin walking up the pathway to her house. Her body started to fill with nervous energy again, was she back for round two?!

Anya reached the top of the path and stood at a safe distance on the other side of the porch. She held a finger up to tell Clarke she needed a moment and took a few deep breaths in and out. Fuck that walk was endless...

Once she had calmed back down and got her breath back she glanced at Clarke and gulped nervously. 

" Anya. What are you doing here?" Clarke asked cautiously.

Anya's eyes closed for a second before she looked back at Clarke in shame. " I erm.. Look...your cousin told me a bunch of bullshit about you and I guess I thought it was all true and I see how close you are to Lexa and I was just worried that you'd end up breaking her heart and that she'd never trust anyone ever again because that's the kind of person Lexa is... She's gentle and loving and so easy for the wrong people to ruin and I guess I just got it wrong...badly wrong and then I blew up at you so.. I'm sorry." Anya took another big breath as she finished rambling. It all fell out of her mouth too fast to really make as much sense as she wanted it to but she wouldn't have been able to get through it all any other way. 

Clarke stared at Anya as she took it all in, she wasn't even surprised that Ontari had something to do with it. Honestly, it made sense. Anya's love for her cousin and wanting to keep her safe... Yeah, Clarke understood that too. It didn't make it hurt any less though.

" I would never hurt Lexa like that." One simple and honest sentence that needed to be heard very clearly.

" I know that Clarke." Anya really did know that deep down. " and if I didn't before, Raven pretty much drilled it into me." Anya attempted a smile. " She's quite the friend. She really has your back. "

Clarke melted and made a mental note to hug Raven more. " She's family and families look out for each other, do they not?" The blonde grinned to let Anya know that she wasn't as mad anymore.

" I'm really sorry that I ruined your meeting at the diner...I'm such a fucking asshole. " Anya huffed angrily at herself. " I want you to know that i went back in there and explained everything... They were actually pretty cool about it all. I think the fact that they loved your designs helped a whole lot. They want you to go back in, next week so they can tell you you're hired but I wanted to be the one to say it so act cool when you see them." 

Clarke shook her head to make sure she heard that correctly. " Wait. What?? I got the job?!" The blondes mouth dropped open in surprise. They loved her artwork! A piece of Clarke was going to be displayed all over the wall of her favourite diner for all of Polis to see!

Anya nodded and smiled. " You've got talent, Blondie." 

" Thank you Anya...for the apology and for mending things." Clarke gave a nod of the head in thanks. " I really do care about Lexa by the way... She's special. " 

Anya's mind thought back to the conversation she had with Lexa where Lexa had said the same thing about Clarke... " She's special." 

" I may have gotten you all wrong Blondie... Mind if we start again?" Anya put her fist out for Clarke to bump.

A husky chuckle came out of Clarke's lips as she gave Anya a fistbump. " I'd like that." Clarke smiled and opened the door to her house. "Come on, I'll get you a drink. You must be thirsty after that walk." 

" The walk of death you mean." Anya quipped as she climbed the porch stairs.

Both the blonde and Lexa's protective cousin entered the house and as the door was closing, one last question needed to be asked.

" What's with the Gnome outside?" 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You may think Clarke is too forgiving but I assure you Lexa won't be! 
> 
> I've been struggling with my anxiety so this chapter took a little while to write.  
> ( When I'm like that, literally nothing else manages to enter my head so writing is impossible!)  
> I hope everyone is staying safe :) 
> 
> The Clexa kiss should be in the next chapter! 🙋 
> 
> Tumblr - hernightsky
> 
> Also only two episodes of the 100 to goooo! (No spoilers for the rest of England who aren't me and haven't been youtubing clips and reading up on each episode as it happens! ...What? I'm weak... * lowers my head in shame*


	9. Tender Moonlight Warms Neon Hearts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Costia's turning seventeen! Party at the beach. Lots of fun and celebration!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoy this chapter! It might be my favourite. 😀

* * *

_**Polis Beachside Caravan Park** _

* * *

Two days. It had been two days of unpredictable showers. Missing items of clothing and death glares being shot at her each time she entered the living room. Lexa was still furious at her cousin.

The initial rage and screaming had died down after the first few hours of being told, what her older cousin had said to her friend and major crush, and now Anya was having to deal with the childish aftermath of Lexa's anger. If Anya was in the shower, Lexa would wander into the smaller bathroom and flush the toilet, either freezing or burning her cousin and filling the caravan in squeals, whichever the case. 

Last night, the alarm on Anya's phone was programmed to go off every twenty three minutes and was hidden under her mattress for added inconvenience and then as the morning came, Anya woke to all of her bra's decorating the branches of the huge tree that was behind the caravan. So yes. Lexa was still pissed at her cousin and it probably wasn't going to stop any time soon! 

" Dad, have you seen my reading glasses anywhere?" Anya wandered barefooted through the living room, moving things from the table and rummaging through draws as Gustus filled the caravan with the scent of bacon, cooking breakfast for his family.

" Sorry honey...I think we both can guess where they might be though..." Gustus grinned and let out a gruff laugh. He hated when his girls fought but he also found great amusement in the immature games that followed. He couldn't help but be impressed by their creativity and their ability to hold a grudge for so long.

Anya sighed and shut her eyes for a moment. Deep down she knew Lexa probably had them but there was always the hope that she had lost them instead.

With a little pat of encouragement from her father, Anya braced herself and tapped gently on Lexa's bedroom door.

A second later the door opened with Lexa standing there, looking nonchalantly. " Yes? Can I help you?"

Anya rolled her eyes and crossed her arms tightly. " Do you have my reading glasses in there?"

Lexa reached inside her pants pocket. "Oh you mean these? Do you need them to see what a horrible thing you did to Clarke??" She shoved the glasses into Anya's chest and raised her brow.

"Come on Lexa! Enough already! Even Clarke forgave me faster than this." Anya groaned, following her cousin into the living room where Gustus was getting ready to serve breakfast.

" Well that's because she's a lovely person with a kind heart...which I would've thought was obvious but apparently not to everyone." Lexa sat down at the kitchen table and took a sip of orange juice that Gustus had put out for her.

" It was obvious to me!" Gustus chipped in. " I think Clarke's a very sweet kid." 

" Why thank you Gus! The feelings mutual." Clarke smiled at Lexa's uncle as she popped her head through the open front door.

Lexa started choking on her orange juice, not expecting to hear her favourite husky voice at this time of the morning. " Clarke!" The brunette coughed out while dribbling orange juice everywhere.

Smooth.

" Hey Lex." Clarke chuckled at Lexa's clumsiness and gave her back a few pats to help her juice down. " Sorry I didn't mean to scare you." The blonde looked over at Anya and smiled with a wave. " Anya." 

The older Woods cousin moved over to the kitchen table, cleared her dry throat and nodded in Clarke's direction. " Blondie." While she was forgiven by Clarke, Anya still felt like an asshole every time she saw the blonde. Hopefully that would end one day.

Lexa was still looking at her in surprise as Gustus walked over with plates full of bacon and pancakes. " I saw Clarke yesterday, when I was at the bait shop talking to her dad and invited her over to have breakfast with us! " He smiled at Lexa before shuffling Anya up the couch that wrapped around part of the kitchen table so that he could sit next to her.

" There was no way I was gonna turn down breakfast with my favourite person!" Clarke smiled at Lexa, noticing the tips of her ears turning pink. " Oh, and you two girls of course." Gustus barked out a gruff laugh at Clarke's joke, making the blonde smirk before shoving Lexa to move up the couch so she could sit down.

The caravan was filled with the sounds of cutlery tapping and cutting and mouths chewing, letting out quiet moans of happiness as bacon entered their mouths. Lexa glanced at Clarke a couple of times and then once at her uncle and cousin. Someone had to make conversation so it might as well be her.

" How's everything at home Clarke? Is Ontari still causing trouble? " Lexa took a bite of pancake off her fork while glaring at Anya who ducked her eyes back down to her food quickly.

" Actually, the last couple of days have been pretty quiet. Ontari spent most of her time in her room when she wasn't doing the chores my mom demanded she did as punishment for ruining my designs...thankfully she goes back to Nia this afternoon. " Clarke shut her eyes and smiled blissfully at the thought.

" Did you tell your parents about... everything else that Ontari did...what she said...to Anya." Lexa broached the subject carefully, taking a slow gulp of orange juice while Clarke registered what the brunette was talking about.

" Oh. um... no. I didn't see the point. The managers were very forgiving and still gave me the job, so.." Clarke shrugged, her cheeks started to heat up as she realised Anya must've fessed up to what had happened. She herself, was honestly not going to dump Anya in it, the fact Anya threw herself under the bus was admirable.

" Ah that's right! Jake was practically jumping up and down when he told me about your job offer honey, that's great news! I'm sure you'll have the diner looking first class." Gus winked, letting the rest of their conversation remain oblivious to him.

" Thanks. It's not something I start for another week so I plan on making the most of my time off." Clarke turned to Lexa and smiled. 

Lexa quickly wiped the butter off her chin and smiled back at Clarke. Was that Clarke's way of saying she wanted to spend time together?? Lexa really hoped so.

Breakfast went on with Clarke and Lexa sharing little looks and smirks at each other. At one point Lexa's fingertips lightly stroked over Clarke's wrist as they both went for extra bacon. The moment skin touched skin, both girls shivered and hearts tried their hardest to pound out of chests. Neither noticing the daft faces Gustus was pulling at them for Anya's amusement.

Too much time around Jake Griffin was to blame... Clearly his goofy ways were rubbing off on Lexa's uncle.

Once the breakfast plates had been cleared up and Clarke was getting ready to leave, Lexa had asked to walk Clarke home and received a big fat yes from the enthusiastic blonde.

" Thank you for breakfast Gus. It was delicious, feel free to invite me over anytime." Clarke grinned at the muscly older man as he was half way through drying a plate.

" You're welcome here anytime sweetie." Gustus gave a happy nod from the kitchen as Anya plonked herself down in the living room ready to watch her favourite TV show. " It was nice to see you blondie." Anya smiled genuinely at Clarke while Lexa raised a brow at her cousin while fastening her jacket.

" You too Anya. Thanks for not stabbing me with your fork as I stole the last pancake." Clarke winked at Anya before threading her arm through Lexa's. 

" Not gonna lie, the thought was there..."

Clarke chuckled and threw a wave over her shoulder as Lexa pulled her out onto the veranda.

They were half way down the stairs when they heard Anya's voice.

" My shows about to start! Where the hell are the remote batteries?! "

Lexa put her hand in her pants pocket and pulled out two batteries to show Clarke. " Where indeed." 

If Clarke's loud laugh caught Anya's attention, she made no effort to leave the couch. Damn how long is Lexa gonna hold a grudge for?!

* * *

_**Polis Beach** _

* * *

The wind was blowing stronger the closer the girls got to the beach. The moment bare toes hit soft sand, Clarke was shivering and making the grip she had on Lexa's arm tighter. 

" It's always rougher nearer the sea, I'm not sure why." Lexa spoke with a tremble, not sure if it was from the wind or for the fact Clarke's chest was pressing into her arm. ( It was the chest... We all know it was the chest.) 

" I hope it calms down before Costia's party." Clarke thought for a moment then added more. " Hey, are you going to that, by the way? Maybe we could go together?" She bit her lip nervously as she looked towards the brunette.

"Yeah. Costia came by yesterday and invited us all...she kinda asked if I could arrive early and help her set up." Lexa's cheeks dusted with pink then she tilted her head in thought. " I didn't know you guys were that close?" Her brows furrowed at Clarke.

" Costia has a beach party every year for her birthday... Everyone from our school year gets invited, it's usually a pretty fun night and Raven usually makes an ass of herself." Clarke laughed. "It's not something that's normally allowed but Indra knows people and as long as the party ends by 11pm, nobody who lives close by, complains." Clarke's heart ached at the thought of Costia and Lexa getting closer and spending alone time together before the party starts. Thoughts of offering her own help were quickly shut back down as she pictured how awkward that would be... What if Costia threw heart eyes at Lexa or worse...what if she started flirting. God. Nope Clarke could not witness that.

" I'm sure it'll be great fun." Lexa smiled. " I'll definitely come and find you and if the party goes dull, maybe we can bury Anya in the sand?" The brunette perked at her own idea and Clarke nodded her head with a smirk before adding... " Hell, let's bury Raven too and save the party from both their obnoxious asses." Lexa laughed and shook Clarke's waiting hand in agreement.

Costia's birthday was going to be a night neither girl would ever forget...

* * *

_**Costia's Sweet Seventeenth!** _

* * *

It was just after 4pm and Lexa had kept her promise to Costia, by turning up early to help set up the large section of the beach that had been cleared for her birthday bash. Both girls had decided to help out now and then go back to their places to change for the party. Lexa had been told that almost every girl was likely to turn up in a bikini, a thought that had her blushing every time she thought about it so she tried to keep herself busy, to stop images of Clarke popping into her head because... Fuck! 

As she arrived she was quickly blown away by the sight in front of her. Three gazebos were set up in the centre of the beach, with tables inside where Indra and a few helpers from the caravan park were placing out tons of snack food as well as desserts and different drinks...no alcohol of course.

Balloons in pink, white and blue were tied to each gazebo as well as a line of Balloons that ran along the beach fence and walls. Blankets had been thrown down in the sand with heavy pillows and cushions laid on top for guests to relax and little lanterns with LED candles inside, made a trail along the sand which would light up as the night came. Fairy lights were also hung up above, and would help to make the night feel warm and magical. Everything was so beautiful. 

Large umbrellas were scattered around the beach with tables full of neon face paints, stencils, beach inflatables and surf boards. Lincoln was once again in charge of the BBQ and had set up across from the big stereo system and speakers. He was sad that Octavia wouldn't be able to make it as she was still away with her family but he had promised to take lots of photos and wouldn't mope around on his sister's birthday.

" Costia, it's so beautiful. Your family have really gone all out." Lexa smiled as she placed down more boxes of napkins and various condiments on one of the tables in the gazebo. 

" Yeah, I gotta admit I'm a spoiled princess on my birthday... and I love it!" She grinned and shoved Lexa playfully.

The brunette rolled her eyes and chuckled as she stopped herself from falling. " I'm sorry I couldn't get you more than chocolates and a gift card... You kinda gave me very little warning about your birthday and -"

" Lexa stop.." Costia squeezed Lexa's hand to stop her rambling. " What girl doesn't like chocolate, and gift cards cover all sorts of things...you really didn't need to get me anything in the first place silly, we're new friends and you are very sweet. I love them, thank you." Costia smiled softly and placed a little kiss on Lexa's cheek that instantly brought out a blush at the affection.

" Clarke, come on..." Raven sighed as she dragged Clarke by the wrist, closer to the beach where everyone was setting up.

" Rae, the party doesn't even start for like an hour yet and neither of us are in our outfits for the night. Stop pulling me already. I don't want Lexa to see us...she'll think we're spying!" Clarke huffed in a sulk. Raven had decided to turn up at Clarke's and somehow convince her to just go and get a little look at how the preparations were going...she may have planted the seed in Clarke's mind that Costia might be planning to make a move on Lexa tonight and suddenly Clarke found herself looking for her shoes and telling Raven to lead the way.

" We _are_ spying Griffin! We need to make sure Costia keeps her beautifully manicured hands off Lexa's fine ass!" Raven crouched down behind a sand dune and pulled Clarke down with her.

" Keep your thoughts away from Lexa's ass thank you very much." Clarke scowled playfully and ducked her head as helpers on the beach wandered past. 

" I can't help it. The Woods women have been blessed...man I hope Anya turns up tonight." Raven sighed, dreamily. "If she's wearing that hot pink bikini, you may have to keep checking that I'm still breathing." She looked at Clarke deadly serious and made the blonde laugh quietly.

" Speaking of magnificent tits...you planning on getting those puppies out tonight??" Raven nodded down towards Clarke's chest. " If you want to steal all of little Lexa's attention, I'd wear that dark blue bikini that you spill out of...Costia can't steal Lexa away for romantic chats if she's passed out on the sand in a puddle of her own drool." The latina winked at her bestie.

Clarke didn't know whether to be appalled or flattered by that comment so she went for a mixture of both. " Fuck off you perv!" Clarke laughed and elbowed Raven in the side. " Thank you though.. My boobs needed to hear that." 

" Anytime babe. I'm here for the twins alwaysssohhh oh oh! Look! There's Costia and Lexa!" Raven whisper shouted and started pointing far too enthusiastically.

Clarke fell silent as she watched both girls laughing and standing super close to each other. Costia had taken Lexa's hand and suddenly, Clarke's stomach turned. Costia reached over and kissed Lexa's cheek, leaving Lexa visibly blushing even from their spot behind the sand dunes.

Raven glanced over at her friend. " It was just a little cheek kiss between friends...I'm sure it meant nothing." Raven tried to reassure but it was clear, she wasn't so sure she believed that either.

Clarke remained quiet and offered her friend a small nod and smile. Her head turned away from Raven as her eyes started to water. 

* * *

The first guests to arrive at Costia's party, showed up at 5:14pm Lincoln had the BBQ going and the stereo system had started to play Costia's favourite playlist. Indra was close to the beach entrance to welcome guests and direct them to the drinks tables. 

Lexa had turned up ten minutes later, wearing her favourite denim shorts that had a faded design of skull and crossbones on the back pockets, a pale grey vest top with a checkered red and black shirt left open, over the top and black sandals that irritated her feet, that she ditched almost immediately as her feet sunk into the sand.

Lexa was not a bikini kinda girl.

Costia was chatting happily with a group of girls Lexa didn't recognise, all of them in bikinis, including Costia who had thrown on a thin, white sarong over her bright green two piece. She looked very beautiful, especially with the big happy smile on her face. Lexa smiled to herself while sipping her lemonade.

By 5:41pm the beach was packed with Costia's guests! There were kids drinking and dancing while talking to their friends, guests over by the food tables, stacking their plates. Lincoln was busy serving burgers and hotdogs while other guests were splashing in the sea and having fun with the various beach inflatables. Indra was busy talking to older guests, most likely Costia's relatives Lexa thought while Lexa herself was hanging out with some of the other holiday makers who had come to wish Costia a happy birthday. 

Her eyes kept glancing to the entrance of the beach as she was waiting for Anya and Gus to show up...just them...it wasn't like she was waiting for Clarke or anything. Lexa Woods is far too cool for that. ( Well...someone might believe that??) 

"Raven, I don't know about this...I feel ridiculous." Clarke whined as she adjusted her dark blue bikini for the third time. She wore a sheer white, open shirt over the top, dark denim shorts and white sandals. Her blonde hair was down in soft curls and her dark shades were resting nicely on the top of her head. She looked smokin' hot!

" Are you kidding?! You're practically family and yet I've visualised throwing you up against the nearest wall and humping the fuck out of you at least twice since we left your place... You look damn fine Griff...Lexa's gonna lose it." Raven reassured in her own special Reyes way.

" Um..thanks?" Clarke nervously chuckled and gripped Raven's arm as they started walking down the sandy path, onto the beach. 

" Fuck it's beautiful... Indra sure knows how to throw a party, look at all the fancy ass pillows on the blankets!" Raven beamed as she dragged Clarke further into the party crowd, shoving their way through guests who were dancing and throwing about inflatable beach balls.

" It really is beautiful." Clarke took it all in as she looked around, sending a wave to Lincoln who once again raised his barbeque tongs at her in greeting. " I don't see Lexa anywhere but there's Costia so at least they're not together." Clarke breathed a sigh of relief and pulled Raven over to wish Costia a happy birthday.

Lexa had noticed the second Clarke had arrived at the party. How could she not?? Clarke looked incredible. Like heart stopping... Mind stuttering...holy fuck fantastic incredible! Lexa was pretty sure she was seconds away from having a panic attack. How the hell can she talk to Clarke tonight when she looks like that! 

The brunette sat herself down on the fence, next to a shiny blue balloon and took a few slow, deep breaths. She watched as her dream girl went over to Costia and pulled her into a hug. Clarke was perfect... So kind, funny...beautiful. Anyone would be lucky to be with her. Lexa sighed and took one last deep breath. She couldn't hide away all night, it was best to just woman up and go over there and that she did.

" I'm glad you guys could make it! You both look incredible by the way... Clarke your hair is so gorgeous like that and Raven, red is definitely your colour." Costia winked cheekily as she admired Raven in her red bikini and ripped black, denim shorts.

" Lexa!! There you are! Don't these two look gorgeous? " Costia grabbed Lexa as she came into view and cuddled into her side.

Clarke immediately turned towards Lexa, a wave of nerves flowed through her body as it always did the moment her blue eyes connected with Lexa's green.

The brunette gulped, turning from Costia to glance a little at Raven before her eyes landed heavily on Clarke. It took all of Lexa's willpower not to look down at the blondes chest that was clearly trying to burst out of her tight blue bikini. Holy hell...her eyes. Just stare at her beautiful eyes..don't look down... don't... do it. NO don't! Lexa shook her thoughts away and decided to act like a regular human instead of the dumbass that was trying to break out. " You both look incredible." Lexa nodded in agreement and smiled softly at Clarke. 

Clarke blushed and went to compliment Lexa on her outfit but Raven beat her to it.

" Looking pretty hot there, too. Sexy Lexy! If I start to get handsy later, just go on and direct me to your cousin." Raven winked and raised her cup.

Lexa rolled her eyes with a smirk. She was finally getting used to Raven's ...well, just Raven in general. " She isn't here yet but I'll be sure to send her your way." The younger cousin deadpanned.

Costia squeezed Lexa's arm and leaned in, to pretend to whisper. " Don't worry, I'll keep you out of Ravens grasp." She pulled back and grinned, knowing everyone in their little circle heard.

Clarke chose then to take a large gulp of her drink as Raven side eyed her best friend and noticed the pain in her eyes, deciding then to help out. " So Costia! I got relatives coming to stay soon, you think you could give me ideas on where to take them out on trips?" The latina moved over and hooked her arm through Costia's, gently pulling her away from Lexa. " You gotta know all the hotspots, I'm sure your tourists ask all the time. Come on let's talk business." Raven gave Costia's arm a little tug and started leading her away, fully. " Do I get mates rates on caravan bookings?"

Costia looked baffled for a second, not fully registering what was happening but following Raven all the same. She gave one last look in Lexa's direction before starting to fill Raven in on everything she needed to know.

Clarke Griffin was once again a fan of Raven Reyes. Lexa also looked relieved too.

They both shared a dopey smile now that they were alone and Clarke let out a little husky chuckle. "You really do look hot, Lex." The blondes eyes wandered down Lexa's body, very noticeably.

The brunettes skin flushed right up to her ears as she cleared her throat nervously. " Thank you Clarke. You really do look incredible." Lexa's eyes darted quickly down Clarke's body then focused a second too long on her chest as they darted back up to her eyes." Damn. It just had to happen didn't it? She couldn't just behave like a decent person...she's probably ruined everything and why is Clarke clearing her throat? Oh shit. No.

Lexa's eyes must've found their own way back down again as her brain was too busy scolding her to realise. Fuck! The idiots eyes quickly shot back up to Clarke's who was blushing a flustered red and biting her lip to stop herself laughing.

" Clarke..I'm so sorry, I.. " 

" Like what you see?" Clarke tilted her head and smirked. She had to start putting herself out there because Costia sure was.

Lexa's ears were on fire as she stuttered around her own tongue.

" Hello girls! Having fun?" Gustus cheerfully spoke as he and Anya walked over to them while looking around at the party as it was going on.

Lexa was still in a brain freeze so Clarke spoke for them. " Hey guys! Yeah. Indra always throws the greatest parties, i don't think i've ever been to a bad one. I'm glad you finally made it!" 

" Blame Anya. I was ready in ten minutes!" Gustus started eyeing up the meat, sizzling away on the barbeque and suddenly his mouth was watering.

" Hey! It's not my fault my sandals went missing and then mysteriously turned up on the veranda full of shaving foam." Anya glared at Lexa who was trying her hardest not to laugh.

Clarke wasn't so subtle and barked out a laugh that startled a couple of dancers close by. " I'd pretend to be sorry but I kinda like having Lexa defend my honour." Clarke grinned around a mouthful of drink.

Lexa beamed proudly and stood closer to Clarke.

" Okay that's enough small talk! If you need me, I'll be saying hi to Lincoln and eating my weight in hotdogs." Gus threw a wave behind him as he was already charging briskly towards the barbeque area.

Lexa laughed at her uncle and groaned with a head shake. " If he over does it again, you're carrying his ass back." She remarked to her cousin.

" Oh please, it'll take more than my muscles to carry that guy. Maybe I can borrow a golf cart from the caravan park." Anya mused.

Clarke started laughing hysterically. Anya smiled to herself, she really was hilarious.. Maybe not everyone could see it but clearly Clarke agreed...

After a few moments, Lexa's brows furrowed as she looked at Clarke who was still laughing her ass off...Anya was not funny. Anya was never funny... "Clarke...is everythi..."

The blonde started pointing behind Lexa, she was laughing too hard to speak.

Both Lexa and Anya turned around to see Raven Reyes in the distance with her mouth dropped open, her drink cup, spilling onto the sand and a poor party guests feet and her eyes directly burning through Anya's hot pink bikini top.

Of course.

Anya rolled her eyes and just as she was about to pull her shirt closed, she had second thoughts and decided to have a little fun instead. "You know...I think the strap on my sandals is loose. Let me just..." The older Woods cousin drew Ravens eyes towards her and then extra slowly, bent down to mess with her sandals, putting her full cleavage on view and showing off a large portion of her breasts.

Even in the distance Raven's voice carried. " Holy tits! Batman!"

All three of the girls started to howl with laughter. Luckily the music playing, was loud enough to cover everything that was going on for those not paying much attention. 

After another half an hour of dancing and tummies full of burgers, Costia had wandered back over to Lexa and Raven while Clarke was further away, under one of the large umbrellas, checking out the neon paints for the later hours. She was pretty certain she was gonna use the green paint...because it would work with the dark blue of her bikini. Not because of Lexa's eyes...

" Hey sweetheart. I think a sexy red would look good on you." Clarke turned towards the unfamiliar male voice.

Two guys in their late twenties were sitting on blankets, just outside of the section of beach that Costia's party was being held on. Both guys had spiky brown hair, unshaven faces with whiskers coming in, in tufts and sleazy grins wrapped around beer bottles.

Clarke offered them a polite smile before turning back to the table and picking up one of the stencils.

" Hey, what's your name sweetie? You want to hang out with us for awhile?" The same guy spoke and tried to flash his innocent puppy eyes at Clarke.

The blonde was starting to regret moving so far away from the rest of the crowds. She turned towards them again. " Thanks but I'm good, don't wanna miss out on the party." She smiled again and casually walked further away from the guys without making it too obvious.

The chatty guy apparently didn't enjoy being denied and suddenly he was standing up and walking Into Costia's party. " Hey, come on...I'm talking to you...where are you going??" He walked faster the closer he got to Clarke, beer bottle still in hand.

" Look, I'm not interested alright? " Clarke tugged her arm back as he went to grab it and she started to walk backwards, keeping him in sight as she tried to get closer to anyone who could help.

Finn was splashing about in the water with some friends... He could see Clarke was in distress and being followed by an older guy...a taller, muscley guy...a guy who could snap Finn in half... The boy nervously looked around and once he realised nobody had seen him notice what was happening... He turned and started play fighting with Atom again, dunking him under the water.

" You're too good to talk to me, is that it??" The guy scoffed, his alcohol was starting to kick in. "You dress like that then cry when a guy is nice enough to look at you?" 

" Just fuck off oka-" Clarke cut herself off as she smacked into a warm body. 

The guy stopped walking and took a swig of beer. " How about you gorgeous? Want to come hang out with me and your friend? " his eyes ran up and down both beautiful girls.

" I'm afraid this is a private party and your drunk ass is not invited." Anya deadpanned while carefully pulling Clarke behind her.

" Oh feisty! I love it." He laughed and attempted to get closer to Clarke again but was immediately blocked by Anya's hand, shoving him back.

"Hey! Get the hell away from Clarke!" Raven shouted over the music as she and Lexa started to run over in a panic.

" Clarke? That's a pretty name. Suits you sweetheart." The sleazy guy put his hand out to touch Clarke and Anya immediately caught it, grabbing a hold of his wrist in the special defense way that she was taught, by Gustus and squeezed on his pulse point, making the guy drop his beer and fall to his knees. "Stay the fuck away from her you sleazeball." Anya snarled as she took his wrist behind his back, painfully and kicked his ass back out of the party.

The drunken idiot stumbled in the sand and fell in front of his friend who quickly helped him up and was about to join his friend in causing trouble when he noticed Lincoln standing behind Anya with fire in his chocolate brown eyes.

" Whatever...your loss girls." One of the idiots smirked and almost fell over again as his buddy started to pull him further away from the party. 

Anya turned to face her friends once the guys were far enough away down the beach and was immediately brought into a hug by Clarke. " Anya that was amazing! Thank you so much." The blonde pulled back and smiled gratefully at Lexa's badass cousin.

" Yeah, cheekbones that was fucking impressive! I always knew you'd be good with your hands." Raven winked and started to swoon all over Anya again.

" Clarke, are you sure you're okay?" Lexa gently took her hand and started to check the blonde over with worry in her eyes.

" Yeah Clarke, can I get you anything? Do you want a drink or something to eat? I can walk you home if you like." Lincoln joined in with the concern.

" Guys, I'm good. Really." The blonde reassured. " I'm a little shaken, I won't lie but they're gone now and all because of this badass right here!" Clarke squeezed Anya's arm and chuckled as Anya's cheeks dusted pink. " I think I _could_ use a drink though."

" Well let's go get one!" Lincoln threw his arm around Clarke and dragged her away with Raven following closely behind, she really didn't want to leave her friend while she was still shaking.

Lexa caught Anya's arm just as she was leaving to find Gus. " That was really great of you. Thank you for keeping her safe." The brunette smiled up at her big cousin. 

Anya shrugged awkwardly. She wasn't great with compliments. " I would never let her come to harm Lexa. I'd do the same for all of you, even the horny latina...who is still giving me sex eyes even now." Anya laughed and gestured to where Raven was still trying to work her magic by biting her lip and wiggling her eyebrows seductively.

Lexa laughed along with her cousin and sighed after a few moments. " What you said about Clarke was really shitty...but I know you were just trying to protect me. I also know that you're trying with Clarke and I appreciate that. So...I guess this is me saying I forgive you and I'll stop messing with your shit." Lexa grinned and happily took the friendly shove to the shoulder off her cousin.

" Finally...I can sleep easily without worrying you'll put my hand in warm water! " Anya sighed happily and untensed her shoulders.

" Damn! That's a good one, why didn't I think of that!" Lexa groaned and pouted.

The cousins moved their way through the guests, trying not to get elbowed by the groups that were dancing and once they reached their friends, Anya decided to wander off and sit by the sand dunes with her can of cola that she had saved earlier in the day. Raven lasted a full three minutes before casually walking over to join her. Lincoln was back on grilling duty which left Lexa alone with Clarke.

" I know I already asked but you really are okay right?" Lexa's soft puppy eyes melted the blonde into a puddle. She really was the gentlest person Clarke had ever met. 

She smile and took a hold of Lexa's hand to reassure her. " Lex, I'm okay. I promise. He's not the first sleazy guy to ever try something... Raven once threw her ice cream at a guy who thought it was okay to pinch my ass." Clarke chuckled at the memory and then lightly cupped Lexa's jaw, soothing her huffs of anger with gentle strokes of her thumb. 

" I'm surrounded by a nice circle of protective people and now the Woods are added to that list." The blondes eyes sparkled as she looked at Lexa, neither had bothered to let go of the others hand as they stood closely to each other for comfort.

" Always Clarke." Lexa smiled gently as she held Clarke's eye contact.

Both girls attention was caught by the sound of fizzing and the yelp of "Oh shit! Lexa!!!"

Anya crumpled, covering her face with her hands as Raven squealed, shuffling away as the cola can exploded into a bubbling mess of foam, covering Anya head to toe in the sticky drink. 

" Oh shit." Lexa puffed out in a breath and took off running as Anya got up to chase her.

Clarke was once again in hysterics as she watched a soggy Anya chase after her younger cousin who was screeching at the top of her lungs. " I forgot about that one!" "I FORGOT ABOUT THAT ONNNE!!!"

* * *

Indra had kept her promise and had cleared out with the rest of the grown ups by 8:45pm, it was the first year she was willing to leave Costia and her friends to party alone for the last couple of hours.

Lincoln had to stay at the party, it was Indra's only rule. Luckily for the birthday girl, her brother wasn't a snitch so there was no problem when Jasper and Monty pulled out their secret stash of 'moonshine'...the worlds most disgusting concoction, invented by Monty himself. It tasted like citrus flavoured mouthwash with an after taste of soil but at least it got you good and hammered! Especially if you weren't used to drinking.

Clarke was used to the vile drink and that's how she usually ended up making out with Niylah at many of Miller's parties. 

Lexa's stomach turned at the scent of the amber liquid, that was in the cup that Raven just handed to her. Lexa wasn't a drinker...the thought of losing control and not remembering every last detail of events, kinda freaked her out. It wasn't worth it.

" Not drinking?" Clarke asked with a raised brow as she took another big gulp of moonshine, her face cringing slightly as she swallowed it down.

Lexa shook her head. " It's not my kind of thing. Plus someone has to make sure Anya gets back to the right caravan. Can't leave her face down on somebody else's lawn." She smiled and handed Clarke her cup.

Clarke shrugged and started to drink from Lexa's cup too. She didn't plan to get drunk...but if it gave her a little more confidence with Lexa, she wasn't gonna complain.

" Yo guys! Who's up for truth or dareeee?!" Miller shouted from across the beach while waving the empty beer bottle the sleazy guy from earlier, dropped.

Sounds of groaning were mixed in with cheers at the suggestion. Clarke rolled her eyes and smiled at the same time. She both loved and hated the game... Maybe it will be a lot more interesting with the Woods in town? The blonde took Lexa's wrist and started pulling her towards Millers group. " Come on Woods...I wanna know your secrets." Clarke threw a wink at the nervous girl behind her. 

This was a bad idea...Lexa knew it, yet her feet would follow Clarke anywhere.

A table was brought out from one of the tents so the bottle had something smooth to spin on plus as it was getting dark, nobody really wanted to sit down in the damp, cold sand. Miller was clearly feeling the effects of the moonshine already as he kept pulling his boyfriend Jackson over to him for kisses. Miller only really showed affection in private unless he was super wasted...Jackson really wasn't complaining though!

As the girls walked over, Finn approached and took Clarke's hand, giving it a light squeeze as a greeting before letting go. " Hey Clarke. I heard what happened earlier. Are you okay?" His eyes never left the blondes chest, only looking up once she crossed her arms to cover herself.

" Oh. Yeah... I'm all good Finn. Thanks." She smiled politely, glancing at Lexa quickly, who had joined the circle to give them space but who also kept glancing at the two of them in annoyance.

" Good! Man...I would've knocked him out if I'd have been there! What a dick!" Finn huffed angrily...he wasn't a bad actor...those drama classes he took two summers ago, really paid off!

Clarke smiled again and gestured to her group. " Well I better join my girls. I'll see you later!" The blonde walked away before he had chance to respond, leaving Lexa grinning at the scene.

As the night came, the neon paint started to come out in a bright glow of rainbow colours. Lexa skin shined with red swirls and stars, making Clarke's heart, beat in time to the sound of the distant music. Her own skin came alive in delicate green leaves, crawling up twisting tree vines around her arms and fingers. Even with neon paint, Clarke was an artist.

The candles in the lanterns and the fairy lights up above, turned the beach into a beautiful spot, full of magic and wonder. Costia's birthday would be one they'd remember forever.

" I'm the birthday girl! I get to spin first!" Costia bounced lightly on her heels as she took a hold of the bottle and made it spin.

The bottle landed on Jasper who Costia dared, to kiss Monty on the lips for two whole minutes... Neither boy enjoyed it and quickly shuffled away from each other as soon as possible.

It was then Jasper's turn to spin, landing on Bryan who had to admit he had a crush on Jackson...Miller was _not_ amused.

Bryan then dared Raven to give a lap dance to someone in the group. 

The look on Raven's face was enough for Anya to know what was about to happen. " Hell no Reyes!" The older Woods quickly left the circle. " I'm too old and far too fabulous for you!" 

Raven sulked for a moment before pushing Harper down and sitting on her lap. "Your loss!" 

Anya would never admit the jealousy as she watched the latina grinding on some other girl and left the party all together after checking Lexa would be okay.

Next, Miller got dared to jump into the sea while carrying a girl of his choice. ( Harper again.) Then quickly moved himself between Bryan and Jackson once he returned.

After five more rounds, the bottle landed on Costia who picked 'Truth.'

"Okay birthday girl... If you could go on a date with anyone in the circle, who would it be?" Mya grinned and bit her lip as she waited for Costia's answer.

Both Lexa and Clarke stiffened. 

Costia started to blush, glancing more than once at Lexa.

"Um... I think I'd like to go on a date with...with Lexa." Costia quickly covered her face with her hands in embarrassment as everyone wolf whistled. (Well almost everyone.) 

Lexa awkwardly took a large gulp of cola to take attention off her flushed cheeks as Clarke shared a death glare with Raven.

The game carried on but the guests were starting to lose interest and soon little conversations were going on within the circle.

Miller started to whisper aggressively in the background with Bryan, catching a few looks from others. Raven was talking about reality TV shows with Mya and Lexa and Clarke started to chatter between themselves... Things were going fine until Clarke's name was called and everyone turned towards her. 

With the moonshine kicking in and the bottle pointing right at her, Clarke shrugged and thought she'd keep things interesting. " I pick dare." The blonde grinned proudly.

" oooooh! Nice, Clarkey! Well in that case..." Raven tapped her chin in thought. " I dare you to smooch the person you fancy the most with passionate tongues! " the latina winked at her best friend and bit her lip, wondering if she went too far this time.

Oh God.

Clarke's cheeks flushed as she felt everyone's eyes on her, she could sense Lexa tensing up by her side...oh God, come on Griffin! You can do this... Woman up and kiss your girl! 

Clarke wasn't sure if it was her own pep talk or the moonshine, making her suddenly brave but fuck it.

Clarke turned to face Lexa, gave her a little seductive wink and quickly moved a hand behind the brunettes neck before stepping into her space and tilting her head as her eyes zeroed in on Lexa's lips.

And then it all went wrong.

Lexa panicked the moment minty breath hit her lips and suddenly she was forcefully pushing Clarke back while moving her head out of Clarke's reach.

The whole beach went quiet as Clarke stood there in shock. Lexa literally pushed her away...

Soon, the sounds of laughter and people shouting "ouchhh rejected!!" Filled the beach...If this had happened with anyone else, Clarke would have covered her embarrassment with a shrug before sticking her tongue down Someone else's throat. This time...she just couldn't do that.

Costia tried and failed to cover her hopeful smile while Raven wanted to dig a hole and hide in it. 

Lexa wanted to throw up. She didn't want this...not like this. Her eyes were starting to fill with tears as she tried to explain. " Clarke...I" 

" Are you fucking kidding me?!" Miller's voice came out in rage. " keep your hands off Jackson you fucking asshole! " Bryan didn't have time to move before Miller had him on the ground. Suddenly everyone's attention was on the fist fight that was taking place. Cheering and screaming filled the beach as Lincoln and some other guys tried to break the boys up.

Lexa turned back to Clarke and saw that she was walking away.

"Wait! Clarke, I ...I'm sorry I.." Lexa stuttered her words at Clarke in despair.

The blonde turned with hurt in her eyes and a bite to her tone. "Look. It's fine! ...you don't feel the same I get it. Wish I hadn't of made an ass of myself but I'll get over it... I'm not really up for the rest of the party. So I'm gonna go. Bye Lexa." Clarke quickly started to walk in the direction of her house and then broke out into a sprint as the tears started to fall.

Lexa's own tears started to fall down her cheeks. Why... Why couldn't she react like a normal person?!

She knew right then...her night could _not_ end this way.

* * *

_**Polis Beach** _

_**Below The Pier** _

* * *

**To: Clarke ( 1:08 )**

**Clarke. I know you probably hate me right now but I really need to speak to you before I chicken out... Please can you meet me? I'm on the beach, just under the pier. I'm so sorry Clarke. Please... join me? x**

Lexa had sent the text a while ago and was now pacing back and forth, digging her toes into the sand. Luckily it was summer so Polis remained warm and dry, even through the night. The brunette had taken a few of the lanterns with her once the party had ended and had scattered them carefully to brighten up the ground below the pier.

Lexa pushed Clarke away...she embarrassed herself and Clarke in front of everyone! Oh God. Clarke must feel awful... She should've just let it happen and stayed quiet. But...no. No she really couldn't let it happen. Not like that.

Lexa was so lost in her own thoughts, Clarke was almost next to her before she even noticed. 

The brunette startled, the nerves suddenly in her throat, trying to choke her.

Clarke had changed into a white sweater with jeans and thrown her hair up in a messy bun. She looked beautiful.

Beautiful and pissed off.

The blonde stood there with her arms crossed and a "I'm not in the mood for this shit' expression on her face.

" Why are we here Lexa? It's late." Her voice was soft and full of exhaustion.

The brunette started pacing again, messing with her hands to keep them busy. " I wanted to tell you that I'm so sorry Clarke. What happened... I was a complete idiot, I just... I panicked. " Lexa glanced into blue eyes for a moment before continuing. " It was a game-"

Clarke's head shot up in rage. " A game?! Are you kidding me?! This was all a game to you?" Clarke gestured between them both. " Lexa, I-"

"No! Truth or Dare... _that_ was a game. I didn't want it that way." Lexa sighed and looked down at her feet.

Clarke shut her eyes and took a deep breath. Where the hell was Lexa going with this? What can she possibly say that can make any of this any -

" I've never kissed anyone before." 

The words came out of Lexa's mouth so quietly, she wasn't even sure Clarke had heard her until she braved a look into Clarke's eyes.

" I know it's dumb..." Lexa's cheeks and ears were on fire but she had to do this. " It just never happened... Well I mean, there wasn't anybody I wanted to kiss." She instinctively licked over her lips as she took another glance at Clarke. " Until I met you."

Clarke stood still, staring at Lexa as the shallow breaths that escaped her were the only thing keeping her present and not a collapsed heap in the sand.

" When you moved closer to kiss me, it suddenly hit me that I was about to have my first kiss and while I was glad it was with you...the thought that it would be lost to a silly game...I just couldn't let it happen. I'm so sorry Clarke. I'm sorry I embarrassed you. I..."

" You wanted me to be your first kiss." Clarke stated with a smile.

Lexa stopped rambling and instead gave Clarke, one simple nod. " I like you Clarke. When you look at me...it's like I forget how to breathe." That sentence in it's self, made Lexa have to force a breath out. Her body was trembling with nerves and while she wanted to run for the hills, her eyes were struggling to move away from Clarke's lips.

" Lex, I think it's pretty obvious that I feel the same way about you." Clarke started to walk closer. " You're sweet and kind...gorgeous. A total nerd." The blonde chuckled at Lexa's attempts of acting offended and as soon as she was close enough to feel Lexa's shallow breaths against her skin. Clarke whispered. "You're all I think about." 

The blonde moved a hand up to cup Lexa's jaw, her thumb soothing Lexa's nerves with soft strokes as bright blue eyes fell deeply into gentle green. Clarke's gaze slowly traveled to Lexa's trembling lips. A soft smile pulling at her own lips as she slowly moved into Lexa's space, giving her plenty of time to stop the kiss if that's what she wanted.

Lexa knew she was shaking, so many emotions were filling her at once, all she was sure about was that she wanted this kiss more than anything. Her hands placed gently on Clarke's hips then started to grip firmly at her sweater the second soft lips touched hers.

It was gentle. Just a light kiss. Maybe Clarke was being cautious as the kiss was over in a single touch. Lexa's eyes remained closed and a slight chuckle tickled against her mouth, confirming her sense that Clarke was still incredibly close.

Clarke spoke softly, not wanting to ruin the moment as her nose brushed gently against Lexa's. " I need to know if that was okay...I don't want to push y-"

Lexa's suddenly tilted her head and firmly pressed her lips back against Clarke's, making both of them whimper out into the night sky.

The blonde instinctively took charge of the kiss as her hand threaded it's way into wavy brown locks. Lexa wrapped both arms, tightly around Clarke's waist as she panted into each soft kiss. If she wasn't in complete bliss right now, she'd be kicking herself for her body's inability to chill the fuck out.

Clarke was nothing but gentle and respectful, checking that Lexa was happy and reassuring the brunette with slow strokes up and down her back as she made each kiss last longer and slower than the last.

" Thank you for showing up Clarke." Lexa mumbled into Clarke's mouth.

"Thank you for showing up in Polis, Lexa." The blonde chuckled and lightly tasted Lexa's bottom lip.

A soft moan escaped the brunette before she pulled back with a crinkle to her brows, in thought.

Clarke slowly opened her eyes as she lost contact against her lips. "Lex?" 

Lexa paused for a second. " I feel like I'm forgetting something... "

"If it's important, you'll remember." Clarke assured before pulling Lexa back into her for more moonlight kisses under the glowing pier.

* * *

_**Anya's Bedroom** _

* * *

Anya walked into her bedroom in her new seashell pyjamas and yawned loudly. She was exhausted after the party and planned to give her book a miss tonight and head straight to sleep. 

She plonked herself down in bed and got comfy as she lowered her eye mask down over her eyes. Polis sun was a killer in the mornings! 

Her hand patted around on the nightstand until she had her purple water bottle in her hand. She popped the nozzle up and squirted what she thought was water into her mouth.

Yeah... It was vinegar.

Anya sprayed the contents of her mouth all over her bed and screamed at the top of her lungs.

"LLLEEEXXXAAA!!!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> They kissed 😍
> 
> Clarke finally got her girl! Finn pissed me off even though I'm more to blame than he is lol o.O ( aim your anger his way!) 
> 
> It's October! O.O   
> Once April finally ended (after a thousand years.) The rest of the months are flying by! Halloween😍👻
> 
> Be extra safe over the winter months. 💖
> 
> If you want to talk to a lovable goofball...  
> Tumblr - hernightsky


	10. Sanctuary

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There's a whole lot of Raven in this chapter but there's also Clexa sweetness and Jake finally meets the girl his daughter drools over!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally back! O.O 
> 
> I won two anxiety battles since the last chapter! 🙋 
> 
> So let's celebrate with a shiny new one!
> 
> * Puts on some lenseless reading glasses and settles in*

* * *

_**Polis Beachside Caravan Park** _

* * *

Lexa had been in bed for three hours...or more so, Lexa had been _awake_ in bed for three hours. Her mind had replayed Costia's birthday party, over and over, right from the moment her lips finally parted Clarke's that beautiful night. 

There had been a whole day between then and now, though Lexa would not be able to tell you a damn thing that happened in those Clarkeless hours! The blonde had gone to help her mom out at the hospital, that afternoon after the party so Lexa had to cling to the memories and cling she did. You'd think all of the exhaustion from over thinking would knock her out cold but nope. Nothing could stop the memories of soft lips touching hers, the nervous flutter in her stomach as Clarke's vanilla shampoo filled her senses...the gentle touch of warm fingers slipping under the material of her shirt and drawing soft patterns on her lower back. Lexa was wide awake and her heart was dancing wildly in her chest.

Her mind kept thinking about the next time she'd see Clarke...would they kiss? Lexa really hoped so! Now that she finally shared her first kiss with the girl of her dreams, she never wanted to stop...was it too soon to be addicted to Clarke Griffin's lips?? If this is what it feels like to kiss another person, Lexa finally understood why Anya was so private about it. 

The morning couldn't come soon enough. If only she could turn her thoughts off for just a little while...

Nope.

Lexa sighed and turned the light switch on that was above her then reached for the book on the nightstand. If she wasn't going to sleep, at least she could try and give her brain something else to focus on for a couple of hours. "oooooh dragons." The brunette mumbled quietly to herself as she perked at the image inside her book.

Lexa Woods was an adorable nerd.

Luckily for her...Clarke Griffin was also an adorable nerd and if Lexa could see her right at that moment, she'd see the blonde dancing around one of the hospital corridors, singing along to her own playlist of songs that remind her of Lexa.

* * *

_**The Dropship Diner** _

* * *

It was nearly 2am by the time Anya had gotten back into Polis. A Close friend from childhood had heard that Anya's family were close by to the town that she was currently living in and had asked Anya if she wanted to meet up and spend the day, catching up and talking about old times. 

Anya was never the kind of person to have many friends, so she always made the effort to keep in touch and see the ones that she did have, as often as she could.

By the time she reached the beach, she was starving and seeing as the Dropship had decided to stay open 24/7, through the summer so they could make the most of all the extra customers... Anya had allowed her craving for apple pie to win over and now she was stood at the counter waiting for one of the staff to fetch her order.

The diner was almost completely empty. Though that was no surprise at that time of the night. A scruffy looking older gentleman was sat near the door, looking out of the window while deep in thought as he ate his meal and a hooded person sat nearer the back of the diner with their back towards Anya as they listened to the soft country music playing on the jukebox and warmed their hands on their coffee mug.

It reminded Anya of all those quiet nights, waitressing at the only restaurant in Trigeda. That place never had more than a few customers in at any given time which meant Anya had plenty of time alone with her thoughts as she wiped down the tables and refilled the salt shakers. Polis was so much better than Trigeda. Maybe Anya could move here one day...

That idea was moved from her thoughts as a waitress came over with her dessert in a takeaway container.

Anya handed cash over with a smile and was about to leave when she heard a familiar voice shouting over to the same waitress.

" Hey, can I get some more sugar?" The hooded person turned their head towards the waitress as strands of their long dark hair, fell out of their hood, blocking Anya's view of their face.

Anya didn't need to see them to know that particular voice.

Instead of heading out of the door, Anya turned and walked right up to the hooded person's table. " Shouldn't you be all tucked up in bed by now?" Anya tilted her head in question and smirked at Raven.

" Was that an invitation? " Raven lowered her hood and looked up at Anya with her Reyes cocky grin, though this time it was a little different... Raven's left cheek was sporting a light red bruise and her bottom lip was swollen and split.

Anya's stomach dropped at the sight and suddenly she had to remind herself to breathe. " What the hell happened to you??" The older Woods cousin took a seat opposite Raven

" You should see the other guy...they don't have a scratch on them." Raven joked as she focused on the coffee inside her cup, not yet ready to look at Anya's concerned face.

" Really? That surprises me. I had you down as a 'take no nonsense' feel my right hook kinda girl." Anya sassed and slowly moved Ravens cup away from her hand so she'd finally make eye contact.

It did the trick but only for a moment before she smiled at the waitress in thanks for bringing more sugar over.

Once it was just the two of them again, Raven finally replied as she flicked the packet of sugar and tore it open. " Usually yeah. I don't take shit." Raven agreed then took a deep breath before allowing Anya in a little. " But when it's momma Reyes doing the smacking... It's a different story." She huffed out a laugh but there was no humour in it.

"Fuck." Anya puffed out in shock and sat back in her seat, getting comfortable as Raven clearly had more to say on the matter.

"Yup. My mom's longest, most passionate relationship has always been with the whiskey bottle." Raven quipped as she dumped the sugar into her cup of coffee. " They've broken up a few times over the years but she always goes back... " the latina blew on her coffee before taking a long sip. " She was pretty out of it when I got back and she wasn't too happy when I took a half empty bottle out of her hand, hence the new look." Raven pointed at her wounds.

"So you came here to hide out?" Anya asked in a gentle, caring tone that even _she_ was surprised about.

" Usually when she's this bad, I go to Clarke's but she was helping her mom out at the hospital tonight and I didn't want to hassle them when they've been working all day and are probably exhausted." Raven shrugged and drank almost all of her coffee in one go.

Anya stared at Raven for what felt like a long time after she had finished speaking. She knew the flirty brunette was having a rough night and she also knew that she really couldn't just leave and let the girl stay at the Dropship all night...that wouldn't be okay. The older Woods cousin sighed and rolled her eyes at herself then lightly tapped Raven's foot with her own under the table. " Hurry up and finish your drink. You're staying over. "

Raven perked and went to comment with something that was likely inappropriate but was cut off by Anya raising her hands. "Whatever you're about to say, don't. You're taking the couch...you're welcome. Now come on." Anya stood and picked up her dessert container from the table as Raven downed the last part of her coffee.

Once she wiped her mouth on her sleeve, she stood up and followed closely behind Anya with her backpack in one hand and reaching for Anya's hand with the other. 

" Don't push it Reyes." Anya mumbled while moving her hand out of reach and opening the heavy door with her shoulder.

" Oh come on. I thought we were besties!" Raven whined through the open door before it swung back, nearly knocking her over.

* * *

_**Polis Beachside Caravan Park** _

* * *

Lexa startled herself awake around 10am. The book she had been reading through the night was now laying upside down on the floor and opened up on a random page. Sleep must've finally crept up on her at some point, tossing her book to the ground while shuffling about in her peaceful dream state. A dopey smile returned to Lexa's face almost instantly...she'd see Clarke today and maybe, just maybe...there would be a kiss in her very near future!

With that happy thought in mind, Lexa quickly climbed out of bed and returned her book to the nightstand. She glanced in the mirror and ran her hand through her bed hair to fluff it back up a little and then made her way to the bathroom.

The sounds of the TV played quietly in the background, meaning at least one of her family members were up already and sitting in the living room. Lexa finished her morning routine and wiped her chin on a towel to get rid of the remaining toothpaste foam. ( She still hadn't mastered the fine art of keeping the toothpaste just inside her mouth. Her chin and t-shirts suffered the most.) Instead of heading back into her bedroom to change out of her grey vest and Iron Man boxers, she decided to peep her head into the kitchen/living room area to say good morning to whoever was watching TV.

The kitchen showed no signs of breakfast being made so it was more likely to be Anya in the living-

"What the..." Lexa stopped in her tracks as she took in the sight of Raven Reyes sitting under a big pile of blankets. Her long dark hair fell wildly over the back cushions of the couch while her bare legs rested on the coffee table and if Lexa was paying attention, she'd notice Anya's socks dancing about on the brunette's feet and the old baseball Jersey that she loved and wore to bed most nights of the week, was now covering up the perky latina. Raven sat there with a smirk, around the spoon full of cereal that was in her mouth as she looked at Lexa before turning back to the TV. " Good morning gorgeous. Want some breakfast? " Raven asked while offering her cereal bowl to Lexa without looking away from her TV show.

"Um no thanks...Raven. Why are you here??" Her brows furrowed as she looked at Raven in puzzlement. Lexa was pretty sure she was awake right now though the image in front of her was a little hard to believe so she subtly pinched her own arm just to make sure.

Then her eyes darted down to Raven's cut lip. 

Raven was about to reply, when she saw Lexa's concerned face as she noticed her injuries. " Oh, I spent the night having wild animal sex with Anya...girl likes it rough and nasty." Raven winked and then burst out laughing at Lexa's horrified expression.

" Kidding baby Woods. Chill...I just needed some place to crash and Anya said I could take the couch." Raven patted the couch cushions happily. 

Lexa took a deep breath in relief then tilted her head, still with concern in her eyes. " Are you okay? Do you want me to call anyone for you? Do you know the person who did that to you?" Lexa gestured to Raven's injuries. 

"Woah. Lexa, chill seriously... I'm all good. I promise." Raven reassured with a tone that implied she wasn't up for talking about it.

" Now... Move that cute butt and go refill my coffee please! I'm no use to anyone without my three cups of caffeine in the morning." The latina waggled her coffee mug at Lexa with pleading puppy eyes.

Lexa rolled her eyes and yanked the mug out of Raven's hands with a small grin then turned to walk back into the kitchen.

Raven tilted her head to perv at Lexa's ass and spoke up so Lexa could hear her as she wandered away. " You Woods women really _do_ have fine asses and i love the boxers by the way...it's too bad Clarkey called dibs on you!"

Lexa's ears were once again on fire.

* * *

Anya had plonked herself down at the opposite end of the couch to Raven, once she had finally woken herself up enough to greet the day. Gustus was happy to be meeting another new friend of the girls and was currently in the kitchen making grilled cheese toasties for anyone who wanted them. Raven already had her plate ready.

" So you and Clarke know each other too?" Gustus asked Raven from the kitchen area as he started pouring himself some orange juice.

" Yup! She's one of my best friends. We hang out all the time and tell each other everything." Raven turned to smirk at Lexa who was now fully dressed in ripped jeans and a white vest top. 

Lexa blushed instantly and darted her eyes away from Raven's knowing grin. 

Anya was pretty much ignoring the conversation around her and was messing about on her phone. If she glanced at Raven far more than the TV show that was on, well that was her business and nobody else's.

" That's great! I'm happy my girls are mixing in with the nicest group in Polis." Gustus perked and gestured for Raven to come over to collect her and Anya's toasties. 

" We do what we can Mr Woods! You've got yourself a great pair of girls." Raven smiled cheesily at Gustus even though it made her lip hurt and then walked back over to the couch where Anya was sitting, with both plates of toasties in hand.

The cheeky brunette sat extremely closely to Anya and moved her lips closer to Anya's ear to whisper. " You also have a great pair of girls." Raven looked down at Anya's chest while handing her one plate of food.

Anya scoffed and stared daggers at Raven before shoving her away and taking her toastie to the other end of the couch. "Remind me why I let you stay over, again?" 

"Because you are a wonderful human being with a heart of gold...and you secretly wanted to see me nak-"

"Dad! How about we take our food out onto the veranda?!" Anya half screeched out as she stood quickly with her plate and headed towards the caravan door before Raven could finish her super awkward sentence.

Gustus laughed gruffly and winked at Raven as he took his meal and drink outside to join Anya. He wasn't embarrassed at all. Infact, women with a cheeky sense of humour, were a breath of fresh air in his opinion.

Lexa looked up from the magazine she was reading at the dinner table, when the room fell silent and she could sense Raven watching her.

She was right.

" Alone again, lover." Raven said from the couch in her most seductive and deep voice while blowing kisses Lexa's way and crossing her legs over the coffee table.

Lexa really wondered how Clarke managed to spend large amounts of time in Raven's company without wanting to make a break for it.

* * *

Thirty minutes later and Anya was sunbathing on the veranda, making the most of the morning sun as Gustus sat near by with his fishing equipment and cleaning kit. They both smiled at Clarke as they heard her footsteps walking up the stairs and Gustus pointed to the door to let her know her favourite brunette was inside.

...make that two favourite brunettes...

" Hey L..Raven??" Clarke frowned and tilted her head as she walked into the caravan and saw her best friend drying the dishes while still wearing the clothes Anya had lent to her.

Lexa lifted her gaze from her magazine at hearing her favourite voice and her whole body filled with nerves of excitement as blue eyes found green. Two goofy smiles appeared on their faces before Clarke remembered she was confused to why Raven was there and she turned back to her friend with the same expression as before.

" Hey Griff! You're too late, there's no food left." Raven grinned happily at her while shaking out another cup before drying it in her towel.

Clarke turned to Lexa hoping she'd explain the presence of Raven but the younger Woods just shrugged and darted her eyes back down to her magazine.

" What are you doing here Rae?" The blonde asked as she walked through the living room to the kitchen area and stood just behind her friend.

Raven turned around fully, allowing Clarke to see her injuries. The blondes mouth dropped a little in surprise before she remembered it wasn't the first time she'd seen her in that state. She suddenly felt sick to the stomach and had to take a deep breath before licking over her lips and nodding once in understanding.

" What? This is Lexa's work! You never told me she bites hard when she's over excited." Raven pointed at her cut lip while making a joke out of the situation.

"What?! No I never...Clarke.. I..-" Lexa bolted up in her seat in a panic and tried to defend herself, the look of horror on her face made both girls in the kitchen laugh their hearts out.

" It's okay Lex." Clarke chuckled and walked over to where Lexa was sitting and placed her hand on top of hers in reassurance. " I know you'd never go near that obnoxious bitch in the kitchen." The blonde threw the last part of that sentence, loudly over her shoulder.

Lexa's hand was tingling under Clarke's warm touch. They both shared another dopey grin.

" Oh yeah? Then how come I know what boxers she's wearing... I'm telling you, me and sexy Lexy are the world's next power couple! " Raven pointed a spatula at Clarke and winked.

Lexa ignored Clarke's laughing and gently tugged on her hand to get her to follow as she stood up and placed on a light jacket." I'm afraid this conversation like our fake romance, is over." Lexa deadpanned as they made there way to the door. 

"Have fun annoying Anya!" Lexa threw over her shoulder as Clarke waved at Raven before being dragged happily out the door.

Once outside and down the steps, Lexa started to untuck her hair from her jacket as Clarke pulled both sides of the jacket together and then slowly zipped it up, receiving a grateful smile from Lexa.

" Iron man." 

Clarke chuckled. " I know I'm strong but...pretty sure anyone can zip a jacket up. " she grinned at Lexa. Her beautiful blonde locks bouncing around her shoulders.

" No...on my boxers. If Raven knows, it's only fair you do too." Lexa smiled shyly then bravely took a hold of Clarke's hand as they started walking up the gravely path in the direction of the beach. 

Clarke melted on the spot. Lexa was the cutest girl in the world...why did her hand have to start sweating in Lexa's firm grip?!

" You are so cute. Batman...Iron Man... You starting a superhero HQ in your pants?" Clarke chuckled at her own joke. " If Raven was here, she'd make an inappropriate bat cave comment." The blonde then barked out a full, loud laugh, making other holiday makers look up.

Lexa groaned and rolled her eyes with a smirk. " Let's not go there." She gave Clarke's hand a squeeze then decided to open up a little as they reached the caravan parks, short cut to the beach. " As a kid, I always wanted to play with action figures and racing cars...anything generally given to boys and not girls." Lexa huffed in amusement as she remembered receiving teenage mutant ninja turtle action figures when she was eight and her nextdoor neighbour receiving two dolls that cried and wore frilly dresses... She was happily never that kind of girl!

" My parents didn't care. They just wanted me to be happy and I was." Lexa turned and smiled at Clarke as she stumbled her way slowly down a sandy path created between two sand dunes and then used both hands to help Clarke down safely.

* * *

_**Polis Beach** _

* * *

Once they reached the beach front, they started walking their way to the stone steps that ran along most of the beach. " Each year, I'd ask for action figures or cool cars and then once I was older and my tastes changed, my mom would still put something aimed more towards boys, in my Christmas stocking." Lexa's swallowed down the sadness that was trying to creep in and took a deep breath to control her tears from falling. 

Both girls sat on the second level of steps and Clarke held Lexa's hand tightly while soothingly rubbing up and down her arm with her other hand as she was listening to the brunette. "This last year, she had placed a pack of superhero boxers in my stocking. One hero for each day of the week...I laughed when I saw them and hugged her so tight." Lexa smiled down at her shoes. " She was the best." Eventually her eyes found Clarke's again and the blonde gently ran a thumb over Lexa's cheek to catch a tear that had escaped. Clarke's eyes were watering too but Lexa thought it just made her eyes even bluer.

" She sounds incredible." The blonde agreed with a nod. " No wonder you turned out so perfect with awesome parents like that." She gently nudged Lexa and smiled as Lexa chuckled.

" I wish they could have met you." The words came out so quietly, Lexa wasn't sure Clarke had heard until she replied after a few moments. " Lexa Woods...I'm damn certain your parents are watching over you every second of the day." Clarke smiled sincerely then whispered closer to Lexa. "They'd be so proud of who you are." 

Lexa wanted to kiss Clarke...

She wanted it so badly but the thought of making the first move, made her sweat all over and by the time it took her to finally move in...

" Hey Clarke! I thought that was you!" 

Eurgh Finn...

The floppy haired boy walked his way over in just his board shorts while carrying an ice cream cone in one hand. His hair was soaked and droplets of water ran down his body from spending the last few hours surfing. Jake Griffin was also on the beach, teaching a surf class and rolled his eyes as he heard the boy call out to his daughter. It was clear a private conversation was happening between the two girls so Jake had left them be...it was a shame that Finn was an oblivious idiot.

Clarke groaned quietly, just enough for Lexa to hear and then put on her best polite smile as Finn stood in front of them. "Hey Finn. Good surf?"

" Yeah! The waters beautiful. You should come for a swim some time." Finn smiled, letting his eyes wander all over Clarke in her dark blue vest top and denim shorts. " Oh! I got this for you...I saw you sitting here and your friend at the 'ice nation' place, said it was your favourite." He looked all pleased with himself as Lexa rolled her eyes. She wouldn't have accepted it but he could've bought two seeing as Clarke clearly had company! Total dick.

" Oh..erm. Thanks?" Clarke took the ice cream and smiled up at Finn. She glanced back at the ice cream in her hand and tried not to laugh...her favourite flavour, my ass! Wells was fully aware that Clarke Griffin was a strawberries and cream kinda girl. What Finn had brought her was light blue in colour with candy shapes sprinkled on top...bubblegum flavour. The exact same order that Lexa had asked for on her first visit to 'ice nation'. Wells' way of saying he was team Lexa, Clarke assumed. She really loved that guy.

" Actually, I think this is more your flavour than mine." Clarke grinned while passing the cone to Lexa.

The brunette stuttered for a moment as she looked up at Finn's confused face, she then turned back to Clarke who had a mischievous glint in her eye that brought a grin to her own lips. " It's my favourite. Thank you Finn." Lexa put on her best fake smile and quickly took a large lick of ice cream.

" Err...yeah. You're welcome." Finn mumbled and started to look like a sulking child. " Clarke, can I get you something else? " he perked suddenly at his after thought.

Clarke was too busy watching Lexa's tongue run over the dripping ice cream to fully hear Finn. " Hmm? Actually. You know what..." Clarke instinctively licked over her own lips as she made up her mind on her next action. 

" I think that looks pretty good after all." Clarke's eyes never left Lexa's lips as her hand moved behind the brunette's neck and before Lexa knew what was happening, Clarke was kissing her deeply with her soft tongue, licking into her mouth slowly.

Oh. Fuck.

Lexa's eyes closed automatically as her own tongue started to run along Clarke's, bringing a quiet moan out of the blondes lips from the sensation of cold bubblegum ice cream mixed with Lexa's hot tongue and mouth. Both girls would have thought they were in heaven, if it wasn't for the floppy haired dumbass standing right in front of them.

Clarke started to pull back far too quickly for Lexa's liking and gently sucked a dribble of ice cream off of Lexa's bottom lip, using her wrist to wipe the rest off the brunette's chin. Clarke cleared her throat and licked over her own lips as she casually looked up at Finn while trying not to focus on how hard her heart was thumping.

" I think I'm gonna have to change my order from now on... Who knew bubblegum tasted so good?!" The blonde chuckled and squeezed Lexa's thigh with a wink.

Lexa was too lost in a daze to hear anything and if Finn was sulking before, he looked ready to throw a tantrum now!

" So what...you guys are dating now?" Finn asked with a frown. " I know you fucked that girl at Miller's but I thought that was a one off cause you were drunk and desperate."

Lexa stood immediately and shoved Finn hard. " Don't you dare fucking speak to her like that ever!" The brunette snarled through gritted teeth and if looks could kill...Finn would be a smoking pile of dust on the ground.

Clarke quickly stood and wrapped her arms around Lexa's waist while whispering. "Babe, Don't he's not worth it." and " His words mean nothing." Lexa was breathing heavily but she heard every word. It didn't stop her glare or her fists from tightening though.

Finn huffed out a laugh at seeing Clarke's latest conquest acting all tough and tried to piss her off even more with his smug expression.

" First of all...I never fucked anyone at Miller's party and secondly, I'm bisexual you ignorant asshole. Even if I _was_ straight, I'd rather die than go anywhere near you...you make my skin crawl. Creep." Clarke spat out as she started to pull Lexa behind her while looking at Finn in disgust. " Now jog on and don't bother me or my girl again." 

...Clarke almost said girlfriend but caught herself at the last minute.... It was probably too early for that. Plus she didn't want Lexa thinking she'd only of said it to piss Finn off. Lexa deserved everything to be perfect when and if Clarke was ever lucky enough to be Lexa's person.

Finn huffed and mumbled. "Whatever." Before turning round and jogging his way back over to some guys who were in the water.

Clarke turned back to Lexa and tried to smooth the frown off her face by soothing her cheek with the back of her hand. " It's okay Lex. He's a dick and his opinion means nothing to me." The anger was shining brightly in Lexa's eyes but she took a calming breath anyway.

Clarke's touch was working but Lexa still wanted to punch the guy out. " He should never have spoken to you like that." 

" I don't think he'll be making that mistake again." The blonde chuckled. " You're pretty hot when you're protective. I like it." A grin broke out on to Clarke's lips, drawing Lexa's eyes down to them.

" Can I kiss you?" The brunette said all of a sudden while her eyes remained on Clarke's plump lower lip. Lexa was starting to realise that things went a whole lot easier for her if she didn't overthink, before making her decisions. Better to just bravely go for it and hope for the best.

Clarke was blushing and shyly messing with her own fingers. Lexa was about to apologise but then Clarke bit her own lip and leaned into the warmth of Lexa's body while grabbing a hold of her jacket with both hands. " I've been waiting all morning for you to say that." The blondes words were soft against Lexa's lips, suddenly no more words were needed as Lexa's hands came up to cup Clarke's face and their lips pressed firmly together.

Lexa's eyes closed as she spent time tasting the blondes soft lips between her own. She could feel Clarke's grip tightening into her jacket and the shallow breaths panting against her lips, she wanted to be in control of the kiss so she decided to copy the move that Clarke had done before and slowly flicked her tongue out to lick at the seam of the blondes lips. It was the right choice as it brought a moan out of Clarke's mouth and by the next time she did it, Clarke had parted her lips to grant Lexa's needy tongue access. Dear God. Lexa could happily die in this moment...

Clarke's tongue was soft against her own and each gentle flick and nibble caused Clarke to lean in harder and whimper louder. Lexa didn't want to be cocky but seeing as she hadn't had a lot of practice in the kissing department, she was mentally patting her own back for the reactions she was bring out in the blonde. 

Suddenly a male throat was cleared loudly, startling both girls out of the kiss though Clarke's hand remained wrapped around Lexa while the other hand reached into her pocket to look at the text she felt vibrating in her denim shorts earlier. A text was so not worth leaving Lexa's lips!

**From: Raven ( 15:06 )**

**Get your tongue out of my lover! Gonna head back home. I'll call you tomorrow. Feel free to explain all to sexy Lexy, Anya will probably tell her anyways. Big smooches X**

Damn it. Home is the last place Raven needs to be. Clarke sighed then decided to deal with that later as her dad was standing there with a grin on his face, staring at Lexa while waiting for Clarke's attention.

The blonde tried not to laugh at the look of terror on Lexa's bright red face. Her eyes were looking everywhere that wasn't Jake and Clarke's dad was enjoying it far too much. He puffed his chest out and tried to look threatening then eventually deflated and laughed, unable to keep his tummy in for that long. " Good afternoon young lady...may I ask who your friend is?" Jake tilted his head at his daughter with a cheeky grin on his face.

Clarke rolled her eyes and gently shoved her dad before cringing and wiping the soggy water droplets off onto her shorts. Jake had finished his surf lesson and had taken a quick rinse under the beach shower before walking over to the girls. " Dad, this is Lexa...you've met her uncle Gus a few times." 

Jake perked and put his hand out to shake. " So you're the niece and the girl my daughter talks about constantly... It's nice to meet you Lexa." Clarke groaned and covered her face. Why are dad's so freaking embarrassing??

Lexa chuckled at Clarke's reaction and shook Jake's hand. " It's really great to meet you too Mr Griffin. My uncle's obsessed with your bait shop, I think he'd move in if he could." Lexa smiled and tried not to act like she was caught making out with this man's daughter only moments ago.

Jake laughed and smiled warmly at the clearly nervous girl. " Well your uncle is welcome to hang out there anytime he likes! I could use the company... This one here, squeals and scares away all the fish when she sees the buckets full of worms." Jake winked at Lexa and Clarke let out a squeak and wriggled away as her dad tickled her side playfully. " and call me Jake. Mr Griffin sounds too sensible and I'm the biggest kid in Polis!" Jake finished as an afterthought before attempting to tickle his daughter again.

Lexa found herself smiling like an idiot at the interactions between father and daughter. Part of her felt sad that she'd no longer have moments like that with her own dad but Gustus was a great man and she was still able to share many family moments with him.

" That was Finn I saw before wasn't it? Boy needs a hair cut, he's starting to look like cousin IT." Jake shook his head.

Lexa's heart rate picked up at the boys name but her anger managed to drain pretty quickly at hearing Clarke's husky laugh at her dad's joke.

" He's a total jerk." The blonde huffed in annoyance. " Luckily I had Lexa here to put him in his place." Clarke linked her arm through the brunette's and shot her the hearteyes while playing with her fingers with her free hand.

Lexa blushed to the tips of her ears and turned back to Jake. " I just said what anyone would have. Clarke's special and nobody has the right to be rude to her." 

Jake stared at Lexa with admiration and gave her a little friendly pat on the shoulder. " You my dear, are quickly becoming my favourite kiddo! Just don't tell Raven...or Octavia... or Clarke!"

Clarke punched her dad in the shoulder as her mouth dropped in offence. " I'm third?!"

"Ow! Those two don't hit!" Jake defended and rubbed his shoulder with a pout. Clarke rolled her eyes and started to pull Lexa away. " We're leaving now." The blonde threw over her shoulder at her dad.

Lexa enjoyed the banter and happily got dragged away by Clarke. " It was nice meeting you Mr Gr- ..Jake!" The brunette waved behind her.

" You too Lexa! Come over for dinner sometime!" Jake shouted from across the beach.

Lexa turned back to Clarke. " You're fourth. Actually... I come first, remember? " she grinned and Clarke elbowed her gently while laughing. "Asshole." 

* * *

The girls were walking along the sand, hand in hand. Clarke had just explained Raven's history with her mother. She had no intention of telling Lexa any of it until Raven gave her permission. It helped really, Clarke was grateful for someone new to share her concerns with.

" I just can't imagine having that kind of relationship with either of my parents... My mom was so gentle. The kind of woman who got teary for stepping on a bug." Lexa smiled sadly.

" Yeah. Raven's had a shitty upbringing but you'd never know to look at her. She's always bouncing around happily and hitting on anything with boobs." Clarke laughed before getting serious again. " Things never used to be as bad as they are now... She forgot to pick Raven up from school sometimes and fell out with some of the other moms by hitting on their husbands but over the years, she's got worse and worse. On Rae's fifteenth, she got really drunk and started stripping in front of all the guests...Rae was so embarrassed and cried on my shoulder for hours after. My heart broke for her and her mom swore she'd get help and it worked for awhile but it didn't last...it never lasts." Clarke smiled and kissed the corner of Lexa's mouth as she felt Lexa's soothing squeeze of the hand and thumb, stroking over her knuckles.

" It's not the first time I've seen Rae with cuts and bruises... She always jokes it off because she doesn't want to talk about it but I know it breaks her. Both my mom and dad have tried in the past to convince her to move in with us...they love her like a daughter but she always refuses cause she doesn't want to leave her mom. I'm just afraid she'll get really hurt one day and it'll be too late to do anything about it." Clarke wiped the tear that was starting to fall with her hand and Lexa stopped walking to pull the blonde into her arms.

" Raven's home life is tricky and wrong but she has wonderful friends and people who consider her family. She knows she has you guys and that's why she comes to you when she needs a break. I'm sure when the time is right, Raven will do what is best for her and your family will be there waiting. " Lexa reassured as she held Clarke close.

* * *

_**The Reyes Residence** _

* * *

Anya had offered to take Raven back to her house but Raven had declined, saying that it was too difficult to drive to at this time of day and that she might go for a swim first anyway. The truth was, she lived in a sketchy part of Polis. Nobody ever really went into her neighbourhood if they didn't have to, many houses were abandoned with smashed out windows and unfortunately for her, all the sleaziest men on the street, knew her mother very well. There was no way Anya was stepping foot in to her world. She'd make damn sure of it.

The latina had been clearing empty beer bottles and pizza boxes from around the house for the last twenty minutes. Her mother had grunted in acknowledgement of her presence in the house, ignoring the damage she had done to her daughter's face and stumbled her way upstairs where two male voices could be heard.

As soon as she reached her bedroom, the men started laughing and making disgusting noises. Raven shut her eyes for a moment and tried to block out the sounds from upstairs. It wouldn't be long before the guys would leave with a little less money in their pockets and Raven would go settle her mom down for the night while being called a number of names and looked at like a burden.

A typical night in the Reyes household.

Her father had skipped out on them pretty much as soon as she was born. She'd never admit it but she often wondered if he was living a fantastic life with a whole new family... Part of her was envious for the life she'd never know nothing about.

Once the rubbish was collected into a trash bag, Raven opened the front door and took the bag to the trash can outside. She turned at the sound of a disgusting man standing in the door way of her house with a cigarette between his lips, his jeans and belt open and his dirty shirt half untucked and buttoned up wrong. 

Raven's lip curled in disgust. " Your fun's over. Get the fuck out my house." She shot towards him from a safe distance while dumping the trash in the can.

" Hey, now that's not very nice sweetheart. I think you should come and make it up to me." The vile man flicked his cigarette Raven's way and started to walk outside towards her.

Raven was about to panic. No one on her fucking Street would come to her rescue if she needed it. The brunette felt completely alone for the first time in her life and the realisation nearly made her cry on the spot but now was not the time to appear weak.

" Stay the fuck away from me you asshole! " Raven backed away into the road, keeping him in sight at all times. 

" Not as easy as your mother then...good, I like it rough." He laughed and then before Raven knew what was happening, the guy was bent down in pain and coughing his guts up while his eyes were red raw and streaming.

Abigail Griffin stood there with a can of pepper spray pointed at the man on the ground and a deadly 'don't fuck with me' expression on her face. " You stay the hell away from my girl." She spat out angrily. Abby was still in her doctors uniform and had a long black coat thrown on over the top

The man cursed a few times and once he was able to see Abby's blurry outline and pepper spray still pointed at his head, he took off as fast as his drunken legs could take him, down the road.

Raven stood there speechless with tears streaming down her face as Abby calmly walked over. " No more excuses honey, you're coming home with me." Abby left no room for argument and luckily she didn't get one.

Raven threw herself into the older woman's arms and broke down crying, finally releasing nearly eighteen years worth of pain and suffering. The relief she felt was almost instant as she crumpled in Abby's strong hold and just cried until there was nothing left.

Abby held on tight with comforting words of love and took her daughter home for good. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Raven's going home ☺  
> She's ready to lower her armour and finally get some rest in a safe place. 
> 
> I really do love and appreciate that you guys take the time to sit down and read this story as it happens. It's a pretty cool feeling to think someone could be reading this right now...or now o.O 
> 
> ...or now O.o
> 
> It also makes me wonder when you guys sit down to read this chapter. Like...  
> Is it the end of the night and you're reading before bed?  
> Maybe you have some time spare while you're on the train to work.  
> Are you at college and reading it in the library?  
> It's so fascinating O.O  
> You don't have to share it with me of course! But just know I'm super interested if you do! 
> 
> Good morning! Good night! Happy afternoon! 💖
> 
> Tumblr - Hernightsky


	11. Signs In The Mind

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Raven settles into the Griffin house. Clarke gets her artwork sorted for the Dropship. Anya and Raven spend time with Martha. Clexa stuff and other things!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 💖 Another long chapter! 💖

* * *

_**The Griffin's** _

* * *

The week that Clarke was both excited and nervous for, had arrived. The Dropship was closing for a few hours each morning for the next couple of weeks, so that Clarke and the other artists could make a start on their designs. It would give them time to work without the distraction of customers chatting and hovering around them and 6am - 9am worked for everyone involved as the diner was rarely busy between those hours of the morning. 

Clarke and another artist, wouldn't be able to start their designs until tomorrow as their walls were still being prepped. ( There turned out to be far more dents and cracks in the walls than either manager had realised and it was taking longer than anyone had expected to fix.) 

It didn't bother Clarke though. It just meant she had extra time to perfect her plans and double check every last detail and that's why she was currently sat in the dining room with sketches scattering the entire table.

" Clarke honey, have you seen my keys? I could have sworn I put them on the table by the door." Abby sighed as she patted down the pockets of the coat she was wearing for the third time.

The blonde looked up at her mom and shook her head while chewing on the pen that was sticking out of her mouth. If it wasn't a colourful half drawn sketch on the table, it really wasn't getting Clarke's attention right now.

" Oh! I put them with your work stuff over there." Raven popped her head through the kitchen archway and gestured to the living room while stretching her arms as much as she could to keep her foamy rubber gloves, dripping into the sink and not all over the kitchen floor. " I also made you a sandwich incase you're too busy at work to take a break." The brunette smiled before getting back to work, washing the breakfast dishes.

Abby and Clarke shared a smile. Raven was a sweetheart who was definitely trying to make herself useful. She really wanted to pull her weight around the Griffin house after they were so generous allowing her to live with them.

Abby followed Raven and crossed her arms as she rested against the kitchen wall. " Honey, you've done more than enough dishes since you arrived and the floors have never looked cleaner. You don't have to pick up after us sweetheart. You are part of this family and we share the chores." Abby smiled with love for the girl in front of her. 

"But if you want to clean the bathroom, I'm totally fine with that!" Clarke's voice flowed into the kitchen making Abby roll her eyes playfully as Raven laughed.

" Nice try sweetie. The bathroom's all yours." Abby shouted back and gave Raven's arm a gentle squeeze in affection.

" I just...i want to show you guys how grateful I am and I don't want to make you regret your decision by slacking off." Raven spoke just loud enough for Abby to be able to hear. Her skin was starting to flush...Raven Reyes wasn't great with feeling vulnerable.

"Come here." Abby melted and shook her head at Raven before pulling her in to her arms for a motherly cuddle.

Raven allowed herself to relax into it and rested her chin on Abby's shoulder while keeping her foamy rubber gloved hands away from Abby's work clothes.

" You are practically my daughter Raven and that means, only doing the house chores once you've been moaned at three or four times." She joked.

" Hey! I heard that." Clarke grumbled from the dining room, making Raven chuckle again.

" Just relax, you are home now sweetie and that won't change, whether you leave dirty dishes in the sink or I find unwashed clothes laying around the house. This is _your_ house too and we are so happy to have you here." Abby gave the girl one last squeeze before winking and walking back Into the dining room.

Raven took a few seconds to calm down, not wanting to cry tears of happiness in front of the Griffin family. That so wasn't her style.

Once she was calm enough, she finished the last of the dishes and took off the gloves. By the time she entered the dining room, Jake was sitting at the dining table, looking over Clarke's work.

The blondes head turned as she heard Raven walking in and both girls shared a smile.

" Hey. If Raven's in the spare room now, does that mean Ontari no longer stays over? Cause...I'm good with that." Clarke beamed in hope.

Jake laughed and picked up one of the sketches, holding it in front of his face so Clarke couldn't see him. " Afraid not kiddo. It just means Ontari will have to share your bedroom." Jake winked at Raven then braced for Clarke's reaction.

The room fell silent which confused Mr Griffin. He looked at Raven who just shrugged and innocently sat herself down at the table.

If he was thinking clearly, he probably would've just made a run for the door...Clarke and silence was never a good combination.

But it was early in the morning and he was still waking up... As soon as he lowered Clarke's sketch, a paper ball made of flawed designs, hit him right on the nose at full speed.

Clarke sat there pointing a scolding finger at her father. " You shouldn't make jokes about such evil things." The blonde let out a chuckle at Jake's sulking face and then picked up a pencil to continue on her work.

Jake turned to Raven. " At least I have one nice daughter." He sulked some more and stuck his tongue out at Clarke.

The brunette fist bumped Jake and smiled. Neither Griffin needed to know how much her heart was soaring at those words.

* * *

_**Polis Beach** _

* * *

It was a quiet morning on the soft, warm sandy beach of Polis. Lexa and Anya had practically the entire thing to themselves. A few families scattered the pier and two older gentlemen were setting up fishing lines to try and catch the fresh fish of the morning.

The two girls were heading in the opposite direction to all of that and were making their way to a large, white beach house in the distance. It was easy to spot out from the rest because of the five foot gnome in Hawaiian shorts that was standing out in front... Marcus, if Lexa remembered correctly. She smiled to herself as Anya rambled on about how far away the Griffin's lived.

" Okay. I can't." Anya stopped walking and bent over a little as she tried to get her breath back. " I'm sure her house moves further away each time you make me walk there." She took in a deep breath and shut her eyes for a moment as her body started to feel less like jelly.

" Stop being so dramatic. It's not even that far." Lexa rolled her eyes in amusement at Anya's over the top reaction. 

She was lying of course...the Griffin house was a long ass way away from the main entrance to the beach but Lexa was a fan of that...hardly anyone ventured that far up the beach which meant Lexa had a lot of time to think and enjoy the peace on her visits to see Clarke.

Usually.

This time Anya had decided to join Lexa for no reason at all...certainly nothing to do with the Griffin's new house member.

" Also, I never made you come with me...you wanted to see Raven and I couldn't stop you." Lexa smirked as Anya glared at her before they started walking in silence again. 

Lexa was actually glad to have Anya's company. She'd been wanting to talk to her cousin about all the new developments that were happening in her life, for a while now.

  * Feeling stronger in herself and being able to find happiness again...
  * Her finally admitting her attraction to girls...
  * Clarke Griffin.



Clarke...the blue eyed beauty that had made everything else possible. God, Lexa wanted to kiss her! Luckily they were getting closer to the Griffin house... Now if only she could work up the courage to tell Anya, she might be able to get those soft kisses she'd been dreaming about.

Tell Anya...fuck. Lexa had already failed in that, twice last night. The first time, they were sat watching TV together and Lexa just had the urge to blurt it out...she almost did too but Gustus had walked in and she lost her nerve. The second time, Lexa had over thought about it and worked herself up to the point that she ran away into her bedroom the moment Anya asked if she wanted a snack.

" Ahn..." Lexa started but as soon as she had her cousin's full attention. Her heart started to pound wildly and her body broke out into a hot sweat...she started to pant shallowly. Oh God, she couldn't do this! 

"Err.. Can we...can we stop for a second. I don't feel great." Lexa stuttered out and moved to rest against the wall, willing her heart to chill the hell out as her body trembled with nervous adrenaline.

" Sure...you okay?" Anya placed a comforting hand on her cousins back and shot her with a concerned look. " It's not too far now. Once we get there, we'll get you some water."

Lexa nodded and tried to take a deep breath. 

Once they started a nice slower pace to the Griffin house, Anya couldn't help herself. " Stop being so dramatic. It's not even that far!" She mimicked in a not so flattering attempt at Lexa's voice.

Anya was an ass.

Lexa loved her to pieces.

* * *

_**The Griffin's** _

* * *

Raven and Clarke were sat on the porch swing talking about Octavia coming home tomorrow and how it feels like forever since they last saw her. Clarke had so much to fill her friend in on and her thoughts quickly went to the green eyed girl...who was suddenly walking up the sandy path to her house with her cousin following closely behind.

Raven was about to speak again but Clarke was suddenly standing up and grinning like an idiot as she caught Lexa's attention. The blonde walked closer to the porch railings and bent down a little to rest her arms on them. She knew she was showing a hell of alot of cleavage in her black vest top and open white shirt but seeing Lexa almost walk into the mailbox was totally worth it.

" Well look who it is." Clarke grinned and met Lexa at the porch steps, greeting her with a hug. A kiss would've been her go to move but with Anya there, she decided against it. The blonde knew that Lexa had been meaning to tell Anya about them and her attraction to girls but she also knew how difficult that can be. She'd never push Lexa to do something she might not be ready for.

Raven stood up and joined Clarke, throwing her arm around her shoulders. " Ahh the hottest woman in Polis gifts us with her presence." The latina bowed a little. " Oh look, and she brought Anya with her too!" 

Both Lexa and Clarke barked out a laugh while Anya glared at the cheeky pain in the ass that she generously let sleep on her couch. " That's not very nice...and here I was, walking a thousand miles of sandy hell, just to see how you were settling in." Anya raised her brow, hoping her guilt trip would make Raven feel bad.

" You walked all that way to see little ol' me? Damn. You could just make it easier on yourself and ask me out...no need to prove your love for me by collapsing in a heap on my doorstep." Raven grinned. Why feel bad when you can flirt even harder?

Clarke sneakily took a hold of Lexa's wrist as Anya and Raven were busy bantering with each other and slowly pulled her into the house, allowing both couples their privacy. Lexa would follow Clarke all the way to the moon if it meant she'd get kisses along the way.

" You good?" Anya sat lightly on the porch railings and gave Raven's face the once over. Her cut lip was still going strong but the bruise on her cheek was a few shades lighter.

The smile on the brunettes face dropped slowly and was replaced with a more serious expression as the subject changed. " Yeah. Got myself a fresh new family." She joked while nervously peeling a strip of loose paint off the side of the house.

" If the parents are anything like Clarke, I think you've made the right choice." Anya's way of saying she was a fan of the blonde. A secret fan...

" Oh the Griff's are the best. Nobody and nothing better than the folks who live here. It's just...a new change. Something I need to get used to I guess." Raven shrugged and stopped herself from pulling more paint off the building... Not really a great way to say 'thank you for letting me stay.' 

" Abby...Clarke's mom." Raven started to explain incase Anya hadn't heard the name before. " Is gonna help get my mom into a rehabilitation programme... I mean, if she's serious about changing this time." The brunette refused to believe anything without proof. 

" Well that's great. She'll get the help she needs and you'll be safe here and you won't have to spend all of your time stressing over her. I'm really glad things are working out for you Reyes." Anya said honestly and if she noticed the slight blush on Raven's cheeks, she was kind enough not to point it out...this time.

Raven was about to flirt with the older Woods cousin when Clarke popped her head back around the door. Her blonde locks looked a little more tousled than before and she was casually wiping her mouth on the sleeve of her white shirt. 

Raven opened her mouth to comment but Clarke quickly cut her off. 

" Hey I have those cookies ready for Martha if you still wanna head over there?" Clarke bit her lip with hope in her eyes. The house would then be empty and she'd be able to have some privacy with Lexa.

Fuck...Anya.

Raven turned to Anya. " Fancy going to see a super cute old lady and maybe sweet talking our way into her hot tub??" 

Clarke was practically begging with her eyes. Not that anyone noticed.

Anya shrugged and got up off the railings. " Probably more fun than staying here and hanging out with Clexa." 

Raven barked out a laugh. " Clexa...amazing! " 

Clarke rolled her eyes and shoved the plate of cookies into Anya's hands. " Thanks Rae. Tell Martha I'll go over and see her soon... I feel bad that I haven't been over to her house in months." The blonde frowned in guilt.

" It's all good Griff! She wanders off by herself enough that we both see her at least a couple of times each week." Raven smirked before both girls broke out into a laugh.

It was true. Martha clearly had a secret exit to her house that none of her carers knew about! 

Clarke waved her friends off then grinned to herself.

Alone at last!

* * *

Lexa was sitting on Clarke's bed and looking at the chosen design that Clarke was going to work off. She was once again lost for words... Clarke was so fucking talented! The ideas and creations that her brain can come up with... Lexa would never be able to come up with anything so out there... Clarke was incredible.

Lexa looked up as the blonde came through the door with two drinks of cola in hand. " Soooo, thoughts?" Clarke bit her lip nervously as she placed Lexa's drink on the nightstand next to her.

The brunette tilted her head in thought and began turning the design upside down in her hand. " It's the strangest looking cow I've ever seen." 

Clarke chuckled and shoved a grinning Lexa. " Well that's because it's a spaceship and not a cow."

" Ohhhh well then yes, it's wonderful Clarke." Lexa grinned again and shivered as Clarke's arm brushed against hers. The blonde had left absolutely no space between them.

Clarke rolled her eyes and took the design out of Lexa's hands as she looked at it herself. " Seriously though...you think they'll like it?"

" Clarke. They will love it. I've never been more sure of anything." Lexa said sincerely while looking deeply into sparkling blue eyes. " You're so talented. They hired you because they could see what the rest of us could see...you're going to achieve so many great things Clarke. I hope you still want me to stick around when you're rich and famous." The brunette chuckled to lighten the mood.

"Well I don't know, I mean Gal Gadot might finally return my calls once I'm famous." Clarke tried to keep a straight face but she broke as soon as Lexa scowled.

" Hey...Wonder Woman might look good on a pair of boxers but the girl wearing them has cute green eyes that could melt your socks off!" Lexa huffed with a nod at her own comment.

Clarke did indeed melt but it was definitely at the cute comment. " Don't worry baby." Clarke ran her hand softly over Lexa's cheek before speaking softer. " You're all I see." 

Lexa met Clarke half way in a soft slow kiss. Her hand innocently made it's way to Clarke's thigh, all on it's own but Clarke really didn't seem to mind as her own hands were busy, tugging at Lexa's neck and getting lost in her dark brown hair.

After a few moments Lexa pulled back as Clarke chased her lips with a whine. Her ears were starting to flush a little as she looked at Clarke's soft lips and then up to her eyes. " You called me baby."

Clarke blushed and chuckled nervously. "Is that okay?" 

Lexa's insides were going crazy at how adorable the blonde in front of her was. Clarke had always made sure she was okay with everything... She never pushed, she was so patient and loving..." More than okay." Lexa smiled. Her own nerves kicking up. God...just do it. " Clarke. Will you be my girlfriend? " The words flew out of her mouth at speed and now her heart was pumping a mile a minute.

She knows she probably looked like a terrified hamster at that moment... She could just picture the expression on her ridiculous face as she waited for what felt like hours when really it was only a few seconds.

Before she knew it, she found herself pounced into a laying down position with Clarke's weight on top of her. She looked up at the blonde in surprise and quickly wrapped her arms around her waist as blonde locks fell around their faces like a curtain. Clarke was looking at Lexa like she was the most precious thing in the world and it suddenly hit her that she forgot to answer. "Oh my god. Yes! Of course it's a yes." Clarke laughed happily as Lexa broke out in to the biggest smile of her life... Sure, she probably looked creepy but who cares! Clarke Griffin is now her girlfriend!!

Suck it Finn Collins.

* * *

_**Martha's House** _

* * *

" Holy fuck." Anya stood outside the large grey stone building with her mouth dropped open and her head tilted back so she could fully take in the height of the building before her.

Martha's house was hidden away behind large stone walls and a large iron gate. The pathway leading to the house was sheltered by large green trees and the double wooden doors of the house had a water feature on either side of it. When they first arrived outside the building, Anya had assumed it was a care home for the elderly, judging by the size of the place but nope! Martha lived here with her small team of carers.

Raven's laugh brought Anya out of her thoughts as she walked over to her with the plate of cookies in hand. " Bet you thought I was kidding about the hot tub." She winked at Anya and nudge her with her elbow. " Come on. Griff will kill me if I let her cookies melt."

Anya was still in a daze and not really listening to Raven ramble but she followed the brunette as she entered the large, old building.

" Thanks for letting us in Lorelei. Help yourself to a cookie." Raven smiled at her favourite carer and lifted some of the foil up from the plate.

Martha had day time carers and night time carers. Lorelei was there all hours and even chose to spend her free time in Martha's company. They had a very close bond but even _she_ didn't know how Martha was escaping!

" Miss Griffin is a wonderful baker." Lorelei moaned quietly as she swallowed her first bite of cookie.

"Hey! How do you know I didn't bake them?" Raven frowned in offence.

Lorelei chuckled and squeezed Raven's arm in affection. " I seem to remember hearing stories about you setting the school on fire only a few months ago."

Anya stopped staring in wonder around the house to raise an eyebrow at that.

Raven turned towards her and rolled her eyes. " Okay. It wasn't the school as much as it was the cooking class and secondly the window blinds went up in flames faster than _anyone_ expected so..." Her hands went up in defence as Anya grinned and shook her head. Why was she not even a little surprised by that? 

The hallway was made up of dark stained woods that left a nice coffee colour to the walls. A large staircase in the same dark wood, took up most of the space in the room while artwork in different sized frames, decorated the walls and made the room look homely. Anya walked over the soft cream coloured carpets to take it all in. She noticed most if not all paintings, were created by Becca Franco, the same artist Clarke loved. The brunette smiled to herself. Clarke's influence, she was sure.

Lorelei took the girls into the living room where Martha was sat in her favourite reclining chair, reading a newspaper.

" Well hello there doll, have you seen your grandmother around?" Raven winked at Martha and took a seat on the couch, giving Anya a nod to join her.

Martha laughed and batted the air near Raven playfully. " This one could charm the birds from the trees." The older woman smiled at Anya next and waited to be introduced.

" This is my good friend Anya. She's heard a lot about you and asked to come along with me today. I hope that's okay. Oh! I also have cookies from Smudge. She sends her love and says she'll come and see you very soon." Raven handed Martha the cookies and Lorelei left the room to give them space to catch up.

" Ohhh how lovely of her. My smudge does like to fuss though. She was only here the other week. It was such a shame her artist dinner fell through that night." Martha shook her head and started to nibble on a cookie. " Anya. It is so lovely to meet you. Raven has told me a lot about you too!" 

Raven bolted up in her seat as her skin flushed. " That's err.. Well I mean... Heeey is that a new table cloth over there?" Raven stood quickly and walked away, pretending to be fascinated in the fancy material. 

Anya smirked at Raven's clear embarrassment. " Only good...appropriate things I hope." The older Woods cousin smiled warmly at Martha and started to look around the living room. "This really is a beautiful house." 

" Thank you dear, my grand daughter wanted to look after me but she has to go away alot...so she bought me a home and found me a wonderful set of people to care for me...I'm a very spoiled young woman." Martha chuckled then smiled as a male carer walked in to the room.

" Ah James. Tablet time already?" Martha slowly stood up, Raven was quick to help her. "Thank you dear. I'm on a strict schedule... If I don't take my pills at the right time, I turn into a pumpkin, isn't that right James."

James smiled politely and took Martha's arm carefully as she wandered over. " A beautiful pumpkin. " 

Martha chuckled. "Sweet talker. I'll be back soon girls. Feel free to look around and we'll have tea and cookies when I return."

Once the door was closed and both girls were left alone, Anya turned to Raven with a smirk. "Talking about me to anyone who will listen eh Reyes?"

Raven scoffed and messed with a few trinkets on the table. " First of all. Martha isn't just anyone...and second of all... Martha's memory isn't what it used to be. I was totally talking about someone else...that just happened to have the same name." She shrugged like her story was believable.

" Oh right." Anya nodded along. " That's lucky...I mean, how awkward would that have been?? " she smiled to herself as Raven's cheeks were dusted in pink once more.

The older Woods cousin decided to give her a break and change the subject. " What's with the whole Smudge thing? I take it, that's Clarke right?" Anya walked around until she was stood in front of the fireplace where Clarke's drawing of Martha hung above.

" Yeah. I'm not totally sure why, Griff probably knows though...I think she mixes her granddaughter up with Clarke sometimes. I've heard her refer to her as Smudge before. I think like Clarke, she enjoys painting and I'm pretty sure Smudge came from the fact that she once got black paint on the family's pure white cat and everyone then referred to it as Smudge...I guess Martha uses it as a pet name." Raven joined Anya at the fireplace and looked up at the very life like drawing of Martha that was signed 'Smudge'.

"Clarke is very talented." Anya thought out loud.

" That she is." Raven smiled proudly. " Clarke drew it last year as a surprise for her...she said none of her other pieces would suit Martha's home so she drew it especially. I think it's pretty damn beautiful!" Raven tilted her head to fully admire. 

" Admiring the gorgeous woman in the drawing, I see." Martha walked back in and grinned cheekily. 

Both girls smiled and Raven being Raven, responded in her own Reyes way. "Damn right we are! If I was a few years older...you'd be in trouble." The brunette grinned and laughed at Anya's creeped out expression.

" It is a very beautiful picture." Anya chipped in. " Smudge has done you proud." She smiled at Martha who beamed and clapped her hands together. 

" I don't know much about art I must admit, but my Smudge is so very talented! That's why I have so many of her pictures up on my walls!" Martha gestured to all the framed paintings hanging up and then sat herself back down in her chair.

" Now, let's talk relationships!" Martha said cheerily as Raven and Anya both shared an awkward look.

* * *

_**The Griffin's** _

* * *

" Can you bring up cookies with you? Oh! And more ice in my drink please...you've totally left me all hot and bothered Woods!" Clarke huskily laughed from the top of the stairs as she looked down at Lexa on the ground floor who was making her way to the kitchen. Both girls needed rehydrating after their long make out session. 

" Anything for you...girlfriend." Lexa smiled cheesily and completely ignored Clarke's "Nerd!" Insult as she walked her way through the dining room and into the kitchen. It felt so right, offering to get their drinks and snacks...she'd only been in the Griffin house a few times but today was different. She was Clarke's girlfriend now which meant she felt comfortable enough to help herself to items in the kitchen without first asking the adults of the house...

Okay. That was a big fat lie...there was no adults about to ask otherwise the adorable idiot would've done just that!

First of all she checked the cupboards over the microwave and found where the Griffin's kept their glasses. Lexa perked to herself at finding something she needed in her first choice. (She was looking for cookies but that's not the point.) 

The brunette then tilted her head in thought as she tried to pick where to look next, her eyes did a double take at the calendar on the wall by the house phone. The rest of the month had things written neatly by some of the dates but what caught her eye was the big scribble that crossed out something that beforehand, had red circles and arrows pointed at that specific date.

Lexa's brow furrowed but only for a second. Whatever it was, that date had passed already. She quickly found where the cookies were hidden and placed them next to the empty glasses. "Ice." She mumbled to herself as she took the glasses over to the fridge and started to fill them with ice cubes. The door of the fridge was covered in small doodles and Clarke's school report cards. (Tons of high marks. Obviously.) Lexa grinned and ran her fingers gently over a doodle of a penguin cuddling upto a polar bear. Griffin was as much of a dork as she was.

The words **'Winner Of The'** was poking out from behind photographs of Clarke as a little kid, playing on the beach with a very small Wells. Lexa would never be able to tell you why but something inside of her knew that she needed to know who had won what exactly... Jake Griffin could have won the greatest dancer of Polis award or Abby could have won a cooking competition... Clarke the greatest kisser...Lexa bit her lip to hide a grin and before she knew what she was doing, the little magnets holding the photos on, had been removed and the pictures were now resting on the counter. 

**Winner Of The**

_**'City Of Light'** _

**Artist Competition**

_Miss Clarke Griffin_

Lexa's heart kicked up a beat as she stared goofily at the certificate. Of course Clarke had won an artist competition before...she's probably won tons of them! 

The brunette was about to carry on with filling the glasses with cola when her eyes caught the name 'Becca Franco' on the certificate. That was Clarke's favourite artist. A smile came back to Lexa's lips as she continued to read the rest of the information underneath.

Clarke had met her hero and had dinner with her?? "Woah." Lexa puffed out in a one breath chuckle. Why the heck hadn't that come up in conver...wait...Becca herself was the one who chose Clarke's work as the winner?! Lexa's mouth dropped open. " Holy fuck..." 

But why wouldn't Clarke have mentioned this to her?? It's such an incredible achievement! 

Lexa's brows furrowed again as she looked at the date and year. Her brain wasn't working properly and it took her a ridiculous amount of time to realise that the date on the certificate was only a few weeks ago. 

Lexa would've been in Polis when the dinner was happening... But Clarke never mentioned it. She tried to scan her mind back to that date but she couldn't rem... "Oh God." Lexa's stomach dropped. That date... That was the day Clarke saved her from spiraling... Lexa's hands were shaking as she tried to control herself enough not to throw up. 

Clarke was with her the entire night and she was receiving so many texts and calls... Oh God, Niylah's text!

(" _Hope we're still on for today! It's been too long...are you as excited for tonight as I am?")_

Lexa had memorised that text. She was so jealous assuming it was a date, she hadn't thought even for a second that it could actually be about something else!

Her Clarke.. her beautiful, kind hearted girlfriend lost her chance to meet up with her hero because of her!! God...she ruined what was probably going to be the best night of her life...

She was starting to feel a panic attack coming on...she needed to get the hell out of there and fast!

With shaky hands, she was able to put the photographs back in place over the certificate and as Jake came through the door with his usual smiley face, she quickly came up with some story about suddenly not feeling too good and asked him to apologise to Clarke for her before she rudely hurried out of the house and started to run as fast as she could, the moment her feet hit the sand.

* * *

_**Polis Beachside Caravan Park** _

* * *

It was late in the afternoon by the time Anya had made it back to the caravan. Gustus had left a note on the table saying that he had gone fishing and not to fill up on junk food because he was certain that he was gonna bring home the biggest catch of the day! ...he then added a 'p.s' at the end that said and by that, he meant he was going to stop at a fish and chip shop on the way home.

Anya had just settled down on the couch with a hot chocolate when the door opened in a rush and a devastated Lexa came in, sobbing her heart out while trying to catch her breath through shallow hiccups.

Anya was up and pulling Lexa into her arms in a heartbeat. "Hey, hey...what's happened..what's going on??" The older Woods cousin was quick to check Lexa over, making sure she wasn't physically hurt in any way and then guided her over to the couch, keeping her arms firmly around the teary girl.

Lexa sat quietly for a moment to calm herself enough to speak then her shiny green eyes turned towards her cousin. " I ruined Clarke's life." Was all that came out before more tears started flowing. 

Anya frowned and started a soothing rub up and down Lexa's back. " What do you mean you ruined her life? I'm sure whatever it is, it's not as bad as your head is telling you." She gave Lexa a gentle squeeze.

"It is! Clarke won a competition to meet her favourite artist in the whole entire world and she didn't go because of me...she didn't meet her because she saw me upset and stayed to look after me." Lexa hated herself in that moment...if only she was stronger. If she had just kept her feelings in that night then Clarke wouldn't have felt so much pressure to stay with her. "I'm the reason she never got to meet Becca." A tear fell from Lexa's eye and Anya pulled her closer.

Damn. Anya was dreading Lexa finding out about that. It was something that she'd hoped would stay buried for at least the next five or ten years. 

" That's not your fault Lex...you didn't know and it was Clarke's choice to stay. She wanted to be there for you and you have to know she doesn't regret it one bit." 

Lexa frowned at the lack of surprise in Anya's tone as she spoke and looked at her questioningly. " Did you know??"

Balls. 

" Okay listen." Anya raised her hands in defence. " Raven might have mentioned it at some point but it wasn't like I was gonna bring it up to you..." Lexa was about to snap at her so she quickly finished before she could. "Because why would i?? I know you and I know how your mind works. It would only have made you feel as shitty and upset as you feel right now and it wouldn't have changed anything. I would basically be telling you for no other reason than to make you feel bad...so no. I just hoped you'd remain happily unaware. I thought Clarke wanted that too, how did you find out?" 

Lexa couldn't really be mad at Anya when she had a point. It wasn't Anya's place to say anything if Clarke didn't want her to know... Just another reason why Clarke's so perfect. She didn't want Lexa to feel bad about it or blame herself. If only Lexa's head could accept that.

" I found her winners certificate on the fridge when I went to get us drinks. I wondered why she hadn't mentioned her dinner with Becca but then I saw the date and everything just hit me all at once." Lexa sighed as she turned to her cousin with red raw eyes. " I ran away." She chuckled but there was no humour in it. " Mr Griffin came home and I told him I wasn't feeling well and to apologise to Clarke for me. She's texted me since but I haven't read it yet." Her eyes started to leak again and Anya hugged her closer to her body.

" Clarke is a sweet girl. She'll understand." Anya reassured. " She's special, remember." The older Woods cousin smiled cheekily and kissed Lexa on the top of her head.

" She is." Lexa took a deep breath. " I like her." She chanced a glance at Anya before continuing. " I have feelings for her...Clarke and I...we're..she's my girlfriend." The brunettes face was on fire as she fumbled over her words, her cheeks had to be redder than ever! 

She refused to look at Anya as she nervously messed with a loose thread on her cousin's shirt. " I know you've always suspected that I like girls...and I do. But I like Clarke more than I've ever liked anyone else...she's so patient with me and doesn't push. She let's things happen at my pace and she's just so beautiful inside and out... _I_ asked _her_ to be my girlfriend." Her voice was so soft but she announced the last part proudly with a smile.

Anya was grinning but not in amusement. She was so happy that Lexa had finally found the courage and felt safe enough to open up about herself. All she ever wanted was for Lexa to feel comfortable enough to be her true self. "Lex, that's really awesome. I'm so happy that you've met someone you feel so strongly about." Anya cuddled her cousin up. " It's been super obvious for a long time that you both have been into each other... Asking her to be your girlfriend was so brave and I'm so proud of you squirt." 

Lexa rolled her eyes at the nickname but couldn't stop the smile anyway as she rested her head on Anya's shoulder. " If you two are gonna be making out all of the time, I'm gonna need warning so I can be anywhere else." Anya threw in and received an elbow to her side. 

Lexa sighed again. " Ahn. I need to make this right...but how the hell do I do that?? I want Clarke to get her meeting with Becca. It will destroy me forever if I can't make that happen." Lexa sat up with slumped shoulders. "Clarke said Becca grew up in Polis so maybe I can contact someone on the council and get them to ask her to come back to her hometown or something??" Lexa looked at Anya with a pathetic hopeful expression that made Anya laugh.

" You have absolutely no idea what you're on about do you?" She asked in amusement. " The council of what exactly?? And if this random council happens to know where to find this random woman...are they gonna ask her to come back to Polis because there's a sweet blonde girl who wants to meet her??" Anya bit her lip to stop herself laughing... Judging by Lexa's scowl, now was not the time.

" I don't know okay! I just want to make things right for her." Lexa frowned and then curled into the warmth of Anya's seat as she got up to make Lexa a hot chocolate.

" Everything will work out Lex, I don't know how yet, but they will." Anya offered a hopeful smile from the kitchen as Lexa pulled her phone out of her pocket.

**From: Clarke ( 16: 25 )**

**Hey you left! :( I'm sorry you're not feeling good... Get some rest and drink plenty of water okay? Text me when you can because I miss you already, my gorgeous girlfriend 💋 x p.s you totally got the wrong cookies out of the cupboard...don't make me end things before they've truly begun, Woods! X**

Lexa smiled to herself. "I hope so." 

* * *

_**The Griffin's** _

* * *

It was the evening and Clarke was curled up on the couch watching some trashy reality show. Lexa still hadn't texted back and Clarke was trying to distract her brain from worrying. Everything was okay between them right?? The make out session on her bed was heart poundingly incredible and then Lexa asked her to be her girlfriend. Clarke smiled dopily as she replayed that in her mind. Things had to be okay... She was probably worried for nothing.

" Hey kiddo! Why aren't you in bed yet?" Jake wandered into the living room in his pyjamas and slippers and peeped at Clarke's final design for the wall that was sitting on the coffee table next to all the paints, pens and stencils that she would need for the morning. " Nervous about tomorrow?" 

Clarke shrugged. " Yeah, I guess I am. I mean it's something that's gonna be seen by so many people... What if they don't like it? Or what if I mess it up and I don't realise until I'm finished?" Clarke groaned into the back of the couch. " Is it too late to run away?" She tilted her head up in hope.

Jake laughed and ruffled up her hair, making her grumble. "Afraid so! But don't worry If you mess it up, it's fine...we'll just pretend we don't know you and kick you out of the house." He patted her on the back.

Clarke glared at her dad. " Helpful. Thanks!" She huffed sarcastically and hit him with a cushion.

Jake laughed again while trying to defend himself from the cushion. " I'm joking honey, you're going to do an amazing job and everyone will love it because you have so much talent kiddo. We're really proud of you Clarke." He kissed her on the top of the head and grabbed his mug off the table.

Clarke smiled softly at him and took her phone out of her pocket as it beeped.

**From: Lexa ( 22:01 )**

**Hey Clarke. I'm so sorry I left without saying goodbye. I'm feeling a little better now :) I'm on my way to sleep it off but I wanted to wish you luck for tomorrow. (Not that you'll need it!) You're so talented and you've got this :) I miss you too and I can't wait to see you again. Goodnight my gorgeous girlfriend xxx**

Clarke was smiling at her text and ignoring the over the top kissing noises her dad was making.

"Ohhh Lexa you're soooo dreamy! Can I hold your hand?!" Jake tried to mimic Clarke's voice but it came out far more feminine and squeaky than...well, anyone really!

Clarke was scowling... Time to go!

Jake quickly went through the door as a cushion hit him on his way out. Clarke chuckled as she heard him mumble. "Rude child." As he started walking up the stairs.

Clarke yawned and stretched out her muscles. It was finally time to sleep now that she knew Lexa was okay. Now if only she could dream about green eyes instead of her art pieces rolling themselves up to form a monster that tries to eat her like last night...

* * *

_**Polis Beachside Caravan Park** _

* * *

It was 1:32am and all of the Woods were tucked up in bed. Gustus had gone to bed first after his long day of fishing ( He didn't catch anything... Anya and Lexa were nice enough not to tease him about it.) Lexa went next, Anya received an extra cuddle for being a great cousin and for bringing Lexa hot chocolate refills and making her toasties just how she likes them.

Anya had been in bed for the last half an hour and had fallen into a deep sleep.

_" Come on gorgeous! I don't bite. Well I mean, I can if that's what you're into!" Raven laughed as she pulled Anya through Martha's house._

_"Reyes, what are we doing here?? Why are you wearing pyjamas?" Anya frowned, almost tripping over a broken chair and falling into Ravens body._

_Raven smirked and steadied Anya. " It's a sleep over! Don't you remember?? You're bringing the cake!" Anya looked down at her hands and found she was holding a winning ticket to an art show. Her brows furrowed. " I don't understand?? What is this?" Anya looked up and Raven was nowhere insight. She was now alone in Martha's living room looking up at the portrait Clarke drew._

_(Raven's voice.) " Clarke drew it last year as a surprise for her...she said **none of her other pieces would suit Martha's home** so she drew it especially."_

_(Martha's voice.) " I don't know much about art I must admit, but **my Smudge is so very talented! That's why I have so many of her pictures up on my walls!"**_

Anya twitched in her sleep ** _._**

_(Clarke's voice.) " **Tell Martha I'll go over and see her soon... I feel bad that I haven't been over to her house in months."**_

(Martha's voice.) "My smudge does like to fuss though. **She was only here the other week. It was such a shame her artist dinner fell through that night."**

_Anya walked through the hallway looking for Raven. The paintings on the walls started to move and dance...Anya started panicking as her eyes kept darting over the artist's name that kept changing from Becca Franco to Smudge with each blink. Her heart was racing as she ran through the house._

_(Raven's voice.) **" I think she mixes her granddaughter up with Clarke sometimes. I've heard her refer to her as Smudge before. I think like Clarke, she enjoys painting."** _

_(Martha's voice.)" **My grand daughter wanted to look after me but she has to go away alot...so she bought me a home and found me a wonderful set of people to care for me**...I'm a very spoiled young woman."_

_Anya started to toss and turn as her breathing started to come out in fast shallow breaths. Her body had a thin coating of sweat as her hands tightened in her bed sheets._

_(Lexa's voice.) "Clarke said_ _**Becca grew up in Polis."** _

Anya shot up in bed.

* * *

Lexa's bedroom door flew open, startling the poor girl awake.

" Anya what the hell?!" Lexa rubbed the sleep out of her eyes and shuffled into a sitting position.

"Hush! Okay this sounds crazy... It really fucking is, I know it is." Anya shook her head and ran a hand through her wild hair as she stood in the door way, still trying to calm her heart back down.

Lexa groaned. "Ahn! What?" 

" I think Becca Franco is Martha's granddaughter... "

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Of course! O.O  
> Maaan Anya's dream sequence took a lot of doing lol o.O 
> 
> I wanted to thank you all for the comments on my last post! Literally had me smiling like a goofball! It seems we can all agree that fanfic reading before bed, is our favourite thing to do! 👍 it's great to unwind to and there's always the hope of Lexa filled dreams. 😍 ...unless Clarke's your girl? I tend to go back and forth lol. 
> 
> I have never written fanfic before Clexa and Clexa fanfic is the only fanfic I've read in years O.O 
> 
> Willow/Kennedy fanfic from Buffy ahem 😳 
> 
> Kennedy was my first Lexa 😍 I thought I moved past it but the Buffy reruns have been on TV lately and ... Nope! Still gives me the flutters!  
> Most people hated her character but what do they know 😑 
> 
> Buffy may have finished like 20 years ago now but ignore that and don't work out my age lol o.O 
> 
> Feel free to share your first TV love/ fanfic couple!
> 
> Or if you wanna ignore my chatter (because it's basically as long as this chapter o.O )
> 
> Stay safe and look after each other 😃
> 
> 😴 Sweet dreams lovelies 😴
> 
> Tumblr - hernightsky


	12. Return Of The Blake

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Clarke starts painting her wall at the diner and makes a new friend. Anya and Lexa discuss the chances of Becca being Martha's granddaughter. Tiny bit of Clexa. Octavia returns and causes problems without realising and Raven is Raven.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's the 5th of November and loud ass fireworks keep startling the heck out of me! 🎆🎉🎆🎇🎆🎉🎇

* * *

_**The Dropship Diner** _

* * *

It was 5:45am and Clarke was already in the carpark of the Dropship diner. Normally if she had to be awake and moving at this time of the morning, you'd find her whining pitifully in a corner with messed up bed hair and a frowning pout on her face. This morning however, Clarke had been up and dressed and eating breakfast in the living room by 4:48am. 

Clarke had known how much her passion for art was taking over when she realised that it was the only thing that could drag her out of bed in the early hours, the need to paint the sun as it was rising...to capture a new day on her canvas...there was no feeling like it and today she was going to leave her mark on the wall of her favourite diner for all to see! 

Sleep had refused to take over her last night, her mind was too busy laying out her artwork on the Dropship wall and looking for problems and ways to solve them. By 3:30am she had realised it was pointless to just lay there wide awake with nervous energy flowing through her and decided to get up and start organising everything that she'll need to take with her. Clarke Griffin was a stress head. A very organised, list making stress head.

Luckily it was summer so the sun had already started to rise by the time she had set off. The lights were on in the Dropship and Clarke could see a couple of artists already inside, getting themselves set up. A wave of excitement took over Clarkes body and suddenly she was grinning and bouncing her way into the diner.

All the tables and chairs had large dust sheets covering them and drop cloths lined the floors in front of each wall that was about to be painted on. Clarke like the rest of the artists, had turned up in old, baggy clothes that already had paint stains on them and her hair was thrown up into a messy bun to keep it out of her face and to stop her messing with it while her hands were covered in different colours.

There was about six other artists in the diner, some working on smaller projects while others had a large area of wall, all to themselves. Clarke's wall was opposite the diner entrance... It had only just occurred to her now that her artwork would be the first thing people would see as they entered...

"Fuck." She huffed out, quietly to herself as extra nervous flew around her stomach. 

Her footsteps caught the attention of the girl working on the wall next to hers. She must be the other artist who couldn't start until today...her wall was still empty like Clarke's while other walls had the beginnings of colour on them.

The girl was around Clarke's age with very short, bleach blonde hair, dark skin and a piercing through her nose. She looked far too cool and suddenly Clarke felt like a geek standing next to her.

"Who knew there was a 6 in the morning now?" The girl grinned at Clarke before rummaging through her bag for her art supplies. 

Clarke let out a husky chuckle. " I know right. Whoever invented that was clearly an insomniac... Also pretty mean to those of us who enjoy our beds." The blonde smiled, her nerves were calming down as she took her place at the wall, sizing up her design in her head.

The girl laughed. " As someone who usually sleeps in till at least 10am, I can tell you... _this_..." She gestured to the art that was going on around them. " is pretty fucking special to be able to get me out of my cave before the sun is fully in the sky. I don't do mornings...or daylight for that matter." She pretended to show her fangs and hissed at the sunlight beaming through the window. 

Clarke laughed and rolled her eyes. " Maybe we should close the blinds and keep you away from the garlic items on the menu then." She grinned. " I'm Clarke by the way." The blonde raised a hand and waved it once in greeting.

The girl put her hand out to Clarke, cheerfully. " Nice to meet you Clarke, I'm Gaia." 

Clarke took the hand offered and shook it with a smile. Okay, maybe this was going to be a lot of fun.

* * *

_**Polis Beachside Caravan Park** _

* * *

" So...run me through it again and this time breathe occasionally so I can understand what the hell you are talking about." Lexa was sat out on the veranda and smiled gratefully at Anya as her cousin brought a mug of coffee out to her.

It was nearly 8am in the morning and the Woods cousins were feeling exhausted. Once Anya had stormed into Lexa's bedroom last night, neither girl had managed to get much sleep after Anya's half asleep ramble about Martha. Lexa instantly thought Anya was sleepwalking and talking nonsense until a cushion came hurtling towards her face and she heard her cousin's frustrated words of ' Listen to what I'm fucking sayin' you annoying pile of nerd!' She then quickly realised Anya was just being her usual delightful self.

" Okay." Anya huffed and took a deep breath before joining Lexa on the lounge chairs that were set up on the veranda in front of the caravan. " Martha's granddaughter is rich enough to buy her a huge ass house that is so big, I thought it was a care home for the elderly... Martha has tons of Becca Franco paintings around her house...at first I thought it was Clarke's influence but Martha said she loved Smudge's artwork so much, she had it all over her walls but Clarke has only ever drawn one piece for Martha's home!" Anya sat up and started to get excited as she spoke.

" Then Raven mentioned that Martha's granddaughter liked to paint too which, helloooo! Becca's paintings are everywhere and so are Smudge's who is totally Becca as well as being Clarke because she gets them both mixed up...oh oh oh! And Clarke said she hadn't visited Martha's house in months but Martha said Smudge was only over there recently and that it was a shame her artist dinner was cancelled!! I'm telling you, it's Becca!! Ohhh and you said Becca grew up in Polis so ya know..." Anya shook her head and slouched back into her seat like it was a solved case that was now closed.

Lexa sat quietly for a few moments in thought while taking a slow sip of coffee. Anya still sounded crazy but honestly... The pieces of the story really did fit together in a surprising kind of way.

" But wouldn't Clarke know if that was the case? I mean...surely Martha would've mentioned it at some point! She hasn't always had a bad memory." Lexa's brows furrowed, part of her was losing hope again.

" Well I'm not sure Martha knows exactly how famous her granddaughter really is..." Anya shrugged then continued after Lexa raised an eyebrow with a ' Are you serious?!' expression on her face. " No. Seriously... I mean, think about it...Becca was just her loving granddaughter who loved to paint and that is how Martha sees her... Becca's only really been in the public eye for a few years and Martha's a very old lady now, it's not crazy to think that Becca kept that part of her life away from her grandmother... She doesn't need her to know how famous and popular she got. She just needs the same love and grounding she always gets from her family. She probably comes back to see her grandmother when life gets too overwhelming and she just needs to be Smudge again." Anya smiled at the thought. " It's really sweet if you think about it." 

" Kinda like when you entered your poetry into a competition that time, and it won...your poem appeared in newspapers and magazines and even got read out on local Trigeda news and yet you never told Gustus you wrote it!" Lexa smiled at her cousin. " He still doesn't know about that."

Anya's cheeks flushed in embarrassment and she turned her gaze away from Lexa. " and he never will." She warned. " But yeah... He doesn't need to know how much of a rock star I really am like Martha doesn't need to know about Becca...We hide our true identities from those we love so that we remain little Smudge's in their eyes... and because dad would ugly cry and make a scene and nobody needs to see that." Anya shuddered.

Lexa chuckled and smiled as she glanced through the window at Gustus who was busy in the kitchen, wearing his best Hawaiian shirt and shorts. Her uncle really did turn into a blubbering mess whenever Anya or herself achieved something special. It was one of his many sweet qualities.

" I guess we'll need to go visit Martha and hope she's having a good day." Lexa spoke with an unsure smile on her lips.

" Two almost strangers and a forgetful old lady...what could go wrong!" Anya laughed nervously.

Lexa rolled her eyes at her cousin but she knew Anya was right...this had ' _bad idea!'_ Written all over it.

* * *

_**The Dropship Diner** _

* * *

By the time 9am came around, Clarke had made a good start on her wall. She had decided to start the middle section and then work outwards from there. Gaia had been great company in the last few hours and shared stories about her life while also asking Clarke questions about her plans for the future. A potential new friendship was blossoming and Clarke was having a great morning which was only made better by the text that just came through.

**From: Lexa ( 9:09 )**

***Squishes my nose up to the window and tries to peep at your wall* Damn! It's covered up. I'm too late :( I brought you coffee...which now I realise is crazy because you're already in a diner. * sigh* I'm in the carpark when you're ready! X**

The biggest grin took over the blondes face. Not only because she was dating a massive dork, (though that was enough to make every part of her melt into a giant puddle.) but because Lexa sounded like she was feeling a lot better and had come to see her on her first day at work at the diner. Clarke was beaming.

"I'd know that loved up expression anywhere...who's the lucky guy? girl? ...or picture of a ridiculously cute dog?" Gaia asked as an afterthought. People can be so freaking obsessed with their pets.

Clarke chuckled and shook her head. "My girlfriend is waiting for me outside." The blonde huffed out a one breath laugh that caught Gaia's attention again as she was tidying up her belongings. " That is the first time I've ever been able to say that sentence." Clarke blushed and tried to control her face from breaking out into a big, cringe worthy smile. "It's new and perfect... She's perfect." The blonde groaned and covered her face with her hand in embarrassment. "God, I'm such a loser."

Gaia laughed and squeezed Clarke's arm in support. " We all are, when we're in love. Now scram... don't wanna be keeping the girl waiting!" The bleach blonde winked at Clarke and pushed her towards the exit.

Clarke stumbled through the door, while sending Gaia a playful glare and then she could no longer contain the smile breaking out on her face as she saw Lexa sat on the wall, dressed in denim shorts and a white, baggy hoody that really complimented her gorgeous brown wavy locks that flowed over it. Clarke was starting to feel like a loved up, horny teenager, each time she was around the gorgeous brunette...she then realised, that is _exactly_ what she is and she gave exactly no fucks about it!

"What brings you to my neck of the woods...Woods?" Clarke grinned at her own joke and moved to stand in between Lexa's legs, giving her bare knees a squeeze.

Lexa smirked in amusement and handed one of the coffee cups over to Clarke who took a big sip immediately and moaned quietly as the hot liquid coated her mouth.

" I heard there was a gorgeous, paint stained blonde, working her magic inside the diner and thought I'd come and see for myself. " Lexa smiled and lowered her head down to meet Clarke in a soft kiss as the blonde reached up on her tiptoes, resting her hand on Lexa's thigh to balance herself. " Lucky blonde. Do I need to kick someone's ass to keep your attention on me?? " Clarke questioned while raising a brow, cheekily.

Lexa pretended to think about that and then chuckled as Clarke nudged her in offence and quickly steadied herself so she didn't fall off the wall.

" _You_ are all I see Clarke." Lexa reassured with a smile while wrapping her legs around the blondes waist to pull her closer and tilted her head back down to kiss Clarke's coffee flavoured lips once more. 

The blonde moaned, keeping her eyes closed as she ran her tongue over her own lips, once the kiss was over. "Keep it that way, Woods." Clarke tugged at Lexa's hoody and then took her hand the moment Lexa climbed down off the wall.

" How was your first day. Did you get a lot done?" Lexa asked as she tangled her fingers between Clarke's and started to walk them away from the diner.

Clarke sipped her coffee as she thought about it. " I made a good start...I'm not sure if I'd call it a lot though." The blonde chuckled and shrugged. " I _did_ meet some nice people...the girl decorating the wall next to mine...Gaia. She's really funny and super cool... She made the time fly by." Clarke smiled.

Lexa stopped walking all of a sudden, stopping Clarke at the same time as they were joined at the hands. The blonde tilted her head in confusion.

" Do _I_ need to kick someone's ass to keep your attention on me??" Lexa asked in her best panicked voice.

Both girls broke out into fits of giggles and Clarke rolled her eyes at her pain in the ass of a girlfriend before linking her arm through Lexa's and dragging her away, so she could wipe the grin off her girls face in the privacy of her own home. "I'll happily show you who has all of my attention, Woods." Clarke bit her own lip and winked.

Lexa was about to feel exhausted and her lips were going to be kiss swollen for the next few hours if Clarke had anything to do with it. 

* * *

_**Polis Beachside Caravan Park** _

* * *

Lincoln was busy at work, tending to the large display of flowers that decorated the entrance to the caravan park. It was another beautiful day and Lincoln's shirt had become a sweaty pile of material on the floor. The older holiday makers were getting their cheap thrills, drooling over the poor guy at work and watching his muscly chest shimmer and flex. Indra had rolled her eyes and quickly left the uncomfortable scene. Her son was always a favourite with the older crowd...sometimes she caught him putting a little extra effort into his gardening chores when they were around...bending over a little more than was necessary...pouring bottles of water down his face and chest in slow motion and don't even get her started on his hose pipe actions! Lincoln loved the attention and Indra just left him to it for her own sanity.

" Hey hot stuff! Miss me?!" Lincoln turned around at the familiar, excitable voice just in time to brace himself as Octavia came crashing into his arms, knocking his ass down into the wet soil of one of the flower displays.

With a shake of the head and a small shuffle, Lincoln pulled Octavia into his lap properly and wrapped his arms around her tightly. " I'm sitting in wet soil and I'm fairly certain you winded me but yes... I missed you beautiful." The soft spoken man smiled gently and moved in for a slow kiss. Lincoln was the perfect man for Octavia... He was laid back and had a calming spirit. She needed those things in her life, Octavia was a wild, chaotic force who had been known to get Into trouble with the cops alot in her early teens...Lincoln had swooped in and changed things around for the troubled brunette.

Octavia melted into her big hunky boyfriend and wrapped her arms around his neck. " I'm so fucking glad to be back. The lack of shoe stores there...well...it was a fucking joke and then with the internet signal dropping out every few minutes..." Octavia shook her head in frustration. "I barely got to talk to you or the girls the entire time I was gone. I hated it!" The brunette groaned and buried her face into her amused boyfriend's shoulder. 

"I hated it too but your home now and we have a lot of time to make up for." Lincoln grinned and placed a soft kiss on the top of Octavia's head while cuddling her close.

" You read my mind." The brunette teased as she raised her head off Lincoln's shoulder and pulled him closer by the back of the neck to kiss him deeply, not caring in the slightest that they were in view of holiday makers passing by as they put on a show in the flower display. 

"Ew gross. Put him down O, you don't know where he's been." Costia quipped as she walked out of the reception office.

Octavia laughed and rolled her eyes as she climbed out of Lincoln's lap. " Sorry C. Your brothers just too damn fine." Octavia winked at the disgusted sister. The two girls had gotten closer since the younger Blake had started to date her older brother. Costia wasn't a fan at the beginning...she knew of Octavia's reputation and felt highly protective over Lincoln but once she saw how much they truly cared for each other, Costia started to let Octavia in a little and now they were very good friends. 

From Octavia's point of view, Costia was the very popular girl at school with the posh life and rich family...she always felt uncomfortable in her presence and put on a hardened 'stay the fuck away from me' attitude whenever she had to be near Costia and her friends. She then fell for Costia's big brother and knew it was important to Lincoln that she tried to make an effort with his family. It took some time but eventually it got easier and easier to talk to them and now, Octavia considers herself the sister Costia always needed. 

" So...what have I missed while I've been gone??" Octavia asked then pointed an accusatory finger in Lincoln's direction. "You better have behaved yourself Mr." The brunette's eyebrow raised but the smile on her lips, let her boyfriend know she was only teasing. 

"Of course baby. I spent the whole time listening to love songs and quietly sobbing into my pillow while holding a photograph of you and counting the days down until you'd return to me." Lincoln said as honestly as he could but the smirk broke out on his face, half way through his sentence and then he was laughing as Octavia shoved him back down into the wet soil that he'd only just gotten up from. 

" You're an asshole." The brunette chuckled then cupped Lincoln's chin and kissed him. " But I love you." She smiled at his goofy grin and helped the poor guy stand up again.

" Nothing much happened here... Oh! But Cos got a little older and fell in loveee." Lincoln put on an immature voice and started blowing kisses at his sister.

Costia groaned and stuck a finger up at her brother. Why were siblings so annoying?

"Ohhh yeah??" Octavia perked at the news. " Time for girl talk! Tell me everything." the brunette linked her arm through Costia's and started to drag her away from the reception while Lincoln looked on.

" Oh don't mind me! I'll just stand here and continue to pine for you! It's all good!" Lincoln shouted sarcastically to the two girls in the distance while wiping the wet soil off his ass with his hand. Who needs the affections of a stunning goddess when you have Edith and Norma eyeing you up on their afternoon stroll. Lincoln grinned to himself and threw a wink towards the adorable old women who beamed happily.

* * *

Octavia dragged Costia to the nearest picnic table on camp and gave her a little nudge to get her to sit down on the bench. "Okay, spill!" The brunette was far too excited by the new gossip but to be fair, she _had_ just spent an eternity with nothing but her family to talk to...any piece of news from anybody she wasn't related to, was headline worthy.

Costia sighed and buried her head into her hands while mumbling against the table. " I'm not in love." She then raised her head again and faced Octavia. "But there is someone staying in one of the caravans that I _do_ kinda like...I mean, more than like but... she's only here over the summer, so..." Costia shrugged and looked down at the table in misery.

" That's awesome! " Octavia hit the table in excitement and startled Costia, making her bolt up in her seat. " Who cares if she's just here for summer?? You can have a hot summer romance!" The brunette sighed dreamily and reached over to squeeze Costia's hand. " Just think about it...long midnight strolls on the beach, hand in hand... Hot make out sessions in the sea... double dates with me and Linc! It'll be amazing!" The brunette beamed. It wasn't often she had another couple to do date nights with and the thought was now too hard to let go of.

Costia seemed to think about it. A summer romance with the possibility of turning into more if they both wanted it...

" I mean, I guess... She's kinda shy and quiet so it _would_ have to be me who makes the first move." Costia blushed slightly and bit her lip. 

"Yeah! Show the little mouse a good time." Octavia winked with a cheeky grin. "Oh! You could take her to the lighthouse to make out... Linc and I usually go there to get handsy." The brunette laughed as Costia's face scrunched up in disgust.

"Really don't wanna hear about that, thanks!" Costia shuddered and started to draw shapes into the wood of the table with her fingertip. "What if I freak her out?? She seems really nervous around me... I don't wanna push her away. " Costia smiled a little as she thought about Lexa's nervous habit of gulping and then licking over her dry lips just seconds after Costia had said something a little flirtatious. Lexa was adorable and fuck. Costia wanted to make all of her naughty fantasies come true.

"You're a hot girl with a killer bod! Of course she's a nervous mess around you. That's why you have to help the poor girl out, take the lead... Leave no room for misunderstanding. In other words... Grab her and kiss the fuck out of her!" Octavia nodded her head, confident in her own advice.

Costia started to nod too. " You know what? You're right. Fuck it." She stood up from the table and Octavia followed. "I'm gonna get my girl! At best, I have an incredible summer.. If it doesn't work out then, fine. She'll be gone before school starts and I can move on knowing I tried and at least kissed her lips." Costia chuckled and then cuddled into Octavia as her brothers girlfriend squealed and pulled her into an excitable hug.

"Who would turn you down?! Fuck, if I wasn't into dudes, I'd be throwing myself at you." Octavia joked as she pulled out of the hug. 

Costia laughed and shoved Octavia playfully. "I'm gonna take _alot_ of pleasure telling Lincoln that." 

" You do that." Octavia grinned and linked her arm through Costia's again. "Now. Let's get you looking a little less like a librarian and more like the foxy chick from your seventeenth! ...sorry I missed that by the way." The brunette pouted apologetically. "Helping you look hot as fuck for your little mouse will be my belated gift to you!" Octavia grinned and started to lead the way to Costia's house.

Unfortunately for them, neither girl knew that little mouse was busy trying to make her actual girlfriends dreams come true...

* * *

_**Martha's House** _

* * *

The heavy front doors to Martha's house shut with a loud creak, almost hitting the Woods cousins in the face. "Well, that was a complete waste of time." Lexa huffed in annoyance. Neither girl looked as wide awake or as neatly dressed as they did on arrival. It turned out to be one of Martha's bad days... The poor woman's memory was all over the place and the conversation went round in circles. The Woods cousins were with Martha for about thirty exhausting minutes before they decided to give in and call it a day. Now outside in the warming sun, Lexa had opened her flannel up and started wafting herself with the loose material while Anya ran her hand through her wild hair in relief to be outside where conversations were no longer repeating themselves.

"Honestly, if you hadn't said that we would have to be leaving, when you did, I was like five seconds away from squealing in frustration and running out of the building." Anya admitted, taking a deep relaxing breath of fresh air. 

Lexa chuckled. "Yeah. I guess our patience skills need a lot of working on. I was right there with you when she somehow managed to confuse me on what we were actually doing there...I ended up taking the trash out and changing three light bulbs for her!" Lexa shook her head in disbelief. " I have no idea how that happened. "

"She might be losing her memory but she's still super crafty!" Anya chipped in as she took in the size and age of the building once more and wondered if it was haunted.

The whole plan had fallen apart the moment they entered the living room. Martha was sitting in her chair while drumming her fingers on the armrest to the music playing in her head while also talking to a photo of her late husband about how this was their favourite song. Lexa had realised then, that this might be a bad idea...

_"Martha, your paintings are beautiful. Who created these pieces?"_

_"Smudge did, dear._ _Look, I'm over the fireplace too. My granddaughter is very clever."_

_"She is but I think Clarke Griffin painted the one over the fireplace."_

_"Who is that dear?"_

_"Smudge."_

_"Oh, Smudge is my granddaughter."_

_"Yes...but."_

_"Oh! Are you friends with my Smudge?"_

_"Well yes, but..."_

_"That's wonderful! I do like to meet her friends... are you also artists? My Smudge goes all over the world, painting her little socks off!"_

_"Right! So about your Smudge...do you know how we can contact her perhaps?"_

_"Of course dear. She lives with that lovely girl with a pretty bird name."_

_"Raven? Oh no. That's Clarke. Your granddaughter... What's her name, Martha?"_

_"Oh no. That's my name dear."_

_"Yes...thank you but what is your granddaughters name?"_

_"Smudge. Please keep up dear."_

Lexa rested against the side of the building and sighed as she replayed the exhausting conversation in her head. " So what now? We should've realised her carers weren't gonna give up any information to two strangers." Lexa could have laughed at how stupid they were in thinking they could get the personal information of a famous artist by just asking nicely. 

" Well let's face it, we aren't the smartest cookies in the tin." Anya agreed. "But you saw the paintings right? And with how shifty the carer was, when we started to fish around about the granddaughter...plus with everything Martha said last time...you agree right? It's totally Becca."

Lexa tilted her head in thought as her brain put all the pieces back into place and then nodded slowly, giving her cousin a smile. "I do. But that doesn't really help us right now." The brunette groaned and pushed herself up off the wall

"I know you wanted to do this by ourselves but we clearly suck. I think we need to get Reyes involved...she's got a good bond with Lorelei the carer...maybe she can put her charm to good use." Anya admitted. Usually her stubborn side would win over but clearly Martha wasn't able to help and while the idea of asking Raven for help, made Anya's insides twist into a knot. There really was no other way if they wanted to keep Clarke out of it.

Lexa took one last look at the house, willing it to cough up it's secrets. "Fine, we'll get Raven on board but Clarke can't know, not yet." Both girls nodded in agreement. " Don't think I didn't notice you just said Raven had charm, also." Lexa side eyed Anya with a grin.

"That was damn fine cake she gave us..." Anya blurted out quickly, in hopes of a subject change as they started moving away from the house.

"Oh! That cake..." Lexa's mouth started watering at the memory. "Okay so maybe the trip wasn't a complete waste of time and you still think Reyes has charm... Let's not forget that." 

"Shut it." 

* * *

_**Clarke's Bedroom** _

* * *

"It's so good to be back!" Octavia collapsed backwards onto Clarke's bed and wrapped her arms awkwardly around Clarke who was sitting against the headboard while Raven had plonked herself down at Clarke's desk and made herself comfortable by throwing her legs up onto the nightstand.

"It's been so quiet without your screaming and dancing around...nobody knocking the door down at all random hours of the day." Clarke smiled down at Octavia while running her fingers through her friends hair.

"I know it was the best." Raven sighed. "I'm gonna miss it too."

Octavia raised a hand just high enough to flip Raven off and Clarke chuckled.

"How was your trip?" The blonde asked while starting to braid Octavia's long, brown locks. 

Octavia groaned and threw an arm over her eyes. "Hell. It was basically giant fields and lakes, barely any shops in sight...like you had to drive for fucking miles to get a loaf of bread and the people who lived in the village, looked at me like I was a princess for wanting a proper hair salon and not just accepting a hair cut from the oldest fucking woman that's ever walked the earth whose hand was shaking so much, she nearly dropped her scissors." Octavia was always so dramatic when she told stories, her friends found great amusement in taking the piss out of her for it.

"Oh oh oh! And to top it off, my disgusting brother got sick while we were there and we had to share a bathroom." The brunette retched at the memories.

Raven laughed so hard she almost fell ass first onto the floor.

"Is he feeling okay now?" Clarke threw in to be kind.

"Who fucking cares! I can't _even_ look at him after seeing what he did in the sink!" 

All three girls retched at that.

"I've never been happier to be back in Polis where the signal strength doesn't drop out every time you move too quickly and you can buy a fucking sandwich without having to pack a separate lunch for the journey!" Octavia sighed with a dreamy expression on her face as she started to kiss every piece of technology in reach. 

"Yeah. Your fucking phonecalls were ridiculous." Raven rolled her eyes and then mimicked Octavia's voice. "Everything sucks here! And oh. My. God you'll never believe -" the brunette finished the sentence half way through to imply the phone cut out.

"I'll never believe what O?! I'll never believe what??" Raven snarled in faux rage before throwing a pillow at Octavia's head but misjudged the aim and hit Clarke's arm instead.

Octavia laughed and threw the pillow back at Raven. "I'm sorry! It was annoying for me too. I didn't get to hear all of the gossip and find out what's new with you two!"

"That's true. Hmmm is there anything new with us, Griff?" Raven tilted her head in thought while smirking at the blonde whose cheeks started to flush. 

"Fuck off Rae." The blonde mumbled. God, she was turning into such a shy mess. It was only Octavia! 

"Noooo tell me! Please?! I missed you guys." The brunette threw in the puppy eyes at Clarke and pouted.

Raven snorted. " Yeah, so much that you went to see your hunky muscle man first! Don't worry O, Clarke and I know how far down on your list we really are." Raven lowered her hand to just a little off the ground while trying to balance on her chair.

"Oh fuck off Rae. Like you wouldn't ditch us if you had your eyes on someone." Octavia rolled her eyes, not noticing the side glance Clarke gave in Raven's direction. "Anyways, I was having a sisterly heart to heart with Costia. I only jumped Linc's bones once I was done dishing out first class advice." Octavia defended herself and moved her head back into Clarke's lap.

"And what did the beautiful Costia need advice on?" Raven asked while using Clarke's art pens to doodle inappropriate stick figure drawings in the back of her sketchpad.

" The girls got it bad for one of the guests staying in a caravan." Octavia chuckled, not noticing Clarke's legs tense up underneath her. "She was so confused on how to handle it but I pretty much persuaded her to just fucking go for it and plant one on her!" The brunette was feeling pretty proud of her advice until Raven and Clarke shouted "WHAT?!!" at the same time.

Octavia's hand instinctively went to her chest to stop her heart from beating it's way out. "What the hell is a matter with you two?! You almost killed me!" The younger Blake panted and collapsed back on the mattress.

"You told Costia to go and kiss Lexa?!" Clarke was already off the bed and throwing her shoes back on in a mad hurry as Octavia still looked puzzled as to what was happening. " Who's Lexa??"

"Clarke's girlfriend dumbass!" Raven threw the pillow again and this time it hit Octavia right in the face.

"Wait..You have a girlfriend?! Since when??" Octavia shoved the pillow away and stood up, waiting for answers.

"I have to go find Lex, Raven can explain everything!" Clarke rambled in a panic as she was already half way through the door.

Octavia turned back to Raven who was sitting smugly with her hands behind her head and her feet kicked back up on the nightstand. "The Woods cousins...now where do I begin?"

* * *

_**Polis Beachside Caravan Park** _

* * *

What the hell was Octavia thinking?! Not everyone leads with their tongue the way she does! Oh God. If Costia throws herself at Lexa...Clarke shook her head, trying to block the images from appearing. She _had_ to get there and fast.

The second her feet hit the sandy pathway that joined her house to the beach, she took off running over the sand at full speed. Luckily, owning a beach house meant she grew up having full access to miles and miles of clear beach where she had spent many a morning running and exercising with Wells, So sprinting to the caravan park was easily done without breaking a sweat. 

Once she was at the caravan park, she had to slow down... It was dangerous to run incase a car had started to pull out of their parking spot. It wasn't very easy to see your full surroundings when there was a caravan on either side of your car so everyone had to do their bit to keep each other safe.

Clarke was practically speed walking with how fast her legs were moving. She received a few huffs of jealousy from a group of older lady speed walkers when she passed them easily and still had time to stop and scratch a dogs ears. 

By the time Lexa's caravan was in sight, Clarke's heart was pounding, all she could think of was Costia's lips touching her girlfriends. Lexa would never allow it of course, not if she had the chance to stop it but if Costia just went for it...fuck!

Clarke ran up the veranda stairs as fast as she could. If her brain wasn't panicking, she'd have knocked on the door...Clarke Griffin wasn't a rude person but at this moment, stopping Costia was all that mattered to her.

Clarke threw the door open, startling a passionate embrace that was happening in the living room.

The blondes mouth dropped open in shock.

"Oh. My. God."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well this chapter will be a whole lot less annoying for those who read it once the whole thing is completed lol. That being said... Thank you for reading it now and please don't leave me O.O 
> 
> I hope you enjoyed Halloween and managed to keep away from the oogies and especially the boogies! 👻
> 
> Christmas is coming and I have absolutely no idea what to get my mum O.O what are you all getting? ...asking for a friend o.O 
> 
> (The next chapter will probably be all Clexa!) 
> 
> Wrap up warm and sweet dreams 💖


	13. In The Heat Of The Night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Clarke interrupts a moment and then has an interesting talk with Costia. A little Jake time. A few family games with the Woods. Lexa looks after Clarke through the storm.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's a stormy night in Polis!
> 
> There are many mentions of lightning and thunderstorms... I don't think that's worthy of a trigger warning o.O but just incase! 
> 
> Lightning makes me all kindsa anxious!

* * *

_By the time Lexa's caravan was in sight, Clarke's heart was pounding, all she could think of was Costia's lips touching her girlfriends. Lexa would never allow it of course, not if she had the chance to stop it but if Costia just went for it...fuck!_

_Clarke ran up the veranda stairs as fast as she could. If her brain wasn't panicking, she'd have knocked on the door...Clarke Griffin wasn't a rude person but at this moment, stopping Costia was all that mattered to her._

_Clarke threw the door open, startling a passionate embrace that was happening in the living room._

_The blondes mouth dropped open in shock._

_"Oh. My. God_."

* * *

Clarke quickly covered her eyes and threw out a hundred rambled apologies.

Gustus had pulled back immediately from the embrace, almost knocking Indra over in the process. The thought that he was just caught out by Anya or even Lexa, before he had found the courage to talk to them about his new possible romance, had him acting like a nervous wreck. Once his brain settled enough to realise it was only Clarke, Gus took a deep breath and smiled apologetically at Indra who was now very tense and clearly wanted to get the hell out of there.

Clarke tried to apologise again while sheltering her eyes behind her hand. "I really am sorry. I never meant to um, I didn't mean to interrupt... I.."

"It's fine Clarke." Indra was so embarrassed, her voice barely made it out beyond a whisper. " I better get back." The caravan park owner refused to look up at Clarke as she was frantically picking up items of clothing that had fallen off only moments ago. ( Only her cardigan and sandals had come off. Indra was a lady after all...get your head out of the gutter.) she then smiled gently at Gustus and gave his hand a gentle squeeze before awkwardly shuffling past the blonde who was still standing in the door way. 

Once the door had closed behind Indra, Clarke felt beyond awkward as she stood across from Lexa's uncle while he finally buttoned up the last of his Hawaiian shirt. Every part of her had been screaming to leave ever since she interrupted the nervous couple but her feet were just frozen to the spot. 

"Well this is uncomfortable." Gustus laughed nervously, chancing a glance at Clarke before turning away again so he could speak with more confidence. "Indra and I -" 

"It's really none of my business." Clarke interrupted while shaking her head and putting her hands up, letting Gustus know he didn't need to explain anything to her.

"I know but please allow me to get it out...I can't have you thinking anything other than what is true." He took a seat as Clarke gave him a nod to continue. "Indra is a lovely woman." Gustus smiled to himself. "She has been a good friend to me, always stopping to have a coffee with me in the morning before I head out to fish. We talk a lot about our lives and it's wonderful... The cafe on the campsite has the best coffee and the most delicious breakfast... You should really try it sometime." Gustus was getting off track and he paused for a long moment.

" Since Anya's mother passed, there hasn't been anyone for me...you find yourself focusing your whole life around your child, the need to make sure they feel safe and that you're giving them twice your attention and love to make up for the love they lost...it's the only thing that's important and over time, you kinda stop thinking about finding someone...it doesn't cross your mind until it just happens... Things changed after her daughter's party. Something clicked...for both of us." Gustus smiled up at Clarke who was giving him her full attention.

"It's all very new and who really knows what the future holds for us but while it's here and happening... Well I intend to make every moment count." The oldest Woods chuckled gruffly. " If you could keep it to yourself... I mean, I of course plan to tell my-" 

"Mr Woods, you really don't need to ask." The blonde cut him off and shook her head in understanding. " I won't say anything. I promise. " Clarke smiled in assurance. Gustus' business was his own. He deserved the right to tell his family in his own time.

" I'll tell the girls soon. All this secret behaviour and sneaking around is bad for my stomach." He whined why rubbing soothingly over his rounded tummy. He then looked up at Clarke cheekily. "I guess you and Lexa aren't having the same issues." He grinned to reassure Clarke that he wasn't hurt but that he knew about their feelings for each other.

Clarke's mouth dropped open and all that came out was a stuttering noise.

"It's okay dear. Lexa will tell me when she's ready." Gustus smiled gently. "I think you both make a beautiful couple and I'll be forever grateful that you managed to put life back into that girls heart." 

Clarke's eyes started to tear up at the kind words and she licked over her lips while trying to control the emotions that were rolling around inside her. "Thank you Gus." The blonde nodded and dabbed her eyes with her sleeve as her lip started to quiver. "For saying that and especially for bringing Lexa to Polis. I think I needed to find her just as much as she needed to be found." Clarke huffed out a wet laugh and then shook herself about to try and pull herself together. "God, I'm a mess." Both she and Gustus laughed.

The older man stood back up and pulled his niece's girlfriend in for a hug, patting her back firmly. " You're okay sweetie. Keep looking after my kid for me and I'll keep you in pancakes and bacon. How does that sound?" Gustus pulled back so he could see Clarke's face. 

"I get Lexa and breakfast outta this deal??" The blonde raised a brow in disbelief. "You have yourself a deal sign me up!" Clarke chuckled and let go of the older Woods before throwing in. "Oh..and Indra is a very lucky woman, I think you guys fit perfectly." She smiled. Gustus was having a hard time keeping his own tears at bay this time and quietly nodded his head in thanks before casually wandering in to the kitchen to re-dry the dishes, just so he could blub in private.

Gustus really was an over emotional fella where as Indra rarely showed any form of emotion at all...maybe their personalities would rub off on each other and both would become a perfect blend of both? The thought made Clarke smile as she left the caravan.

* * *

It was early in the evening by the time Lexa and Anya had made it back onto the caravan park. Both girls were tired and annoyed from their wasted trip and had spent the last ten minutes, arguing over who gets to take the first shower.

"Save it for your girlfriend squirt, your puppy eyes don't work on me." Anya nudged Lexa, making her tumble slightly into a caravan owners garden display.

"Come on, please?" Lexa continued to flash her sweet eyes at her cousin as she pleaded. "It's been a stressful day...I haven't been able to make Clarke's dreams come true, I barely slept last night thanks to your outburst and I've had a stone in my shoe for the last half an hour." Lexa huffed at the last part and pulled Anya to a stop, using her for balance as she finally took her shoe off and smacked it against the floor until the tiny rock fell out. The brunette then glared at it in warning, never to cross her path again and slipped her shoe back on, only half listening to Anya rambling in the background.

" so pull yourself together. The showers mine." Anya finished speaking and then rolled her eyes when she realised Lexa had heard none of it judging by the clueless look on her face. 

"Open your ears baby cousin." Anya sighed. "I said, Costia looks like she's heading over here so pull yourself together." Lexa's head turned quickly towards the main path and sure enough, there was Costia walking their way, wearing a very pretty summer dress and tall, white heels that had no place being on the pebbled floor below. "and I'm taking the first shower while you two talk about...the weather and seagulls and shit." The older cousin shrugged, already bored at the thought of staying any longer and threw a nod Costia's way before making a left towards the caravan.

Lexa slipped her hands into the back pockets of her jeans and smiled happily as Costia finally reached her. "Hey Cos, you look beautiful. Going somewhere nice?" 

* * *

Clarke had decided to walk in the direction of the beach, using the campsites private entrance. Lexa used that route more than any other so Clarke figured she'd have more chance bumping into her if she headed that way.

Her body was starting to fill with nervous adrenaline again. What if she was too late?! Costia could have her tongue down Lexa's throat right this second... Damn Gustus and his bad timing with needing to open up! Clarke couldn't really be mad at the guy though...like Lexa, Gustus could get away with anything. Stupid, annoying, sweet Woods family! (Minus Anya.) 

Clarke could see two people in the distance. One was very much Lexa shaped and Clarke breathed a sigh of relief as she saw the other was Anya. Fuck, that could have ended up being the worst moment of Clarke's life. The blonde took a deep calming breath, walking slightly slower now that the brunette was in sight.

As she got closer to the pair, Anya started to walk away from Lexa, heading right in the blondes direction. Lexa was standing still, looking like she was waiting for someone. Clarke tilted her head with furrowed brows, she was so lost in her own thoughts that she almost missed Anya's acknowledgement of "Blondie." As she passed by. 

Clarke quickly smiled at Anya before glancing back to Lexa, just in time to see a beautiful girl walking up to the brunette. Holy hell was that Costia?? She looked like a fucking model! Clarke's heart started to race again and suddenly she was power walking her ass over there. "Who the fuck wears heels on gravel?" The blonde muttered to herself in a sulk.

* * *

"That's so sweet of you Lexa. Martha is so cute and like the town's Grandma! I'm literally melting at your cuteness for visiting her." The look on Costia's face was enough to make Lexa blush, throw in the little hand squeeze that came with it and Lexa was starting to feel slightly uncomfortable.

"Figuratively." Lexa corrected with an awkward smile. "If you were literally melting, my shoes would get wet." The brunette grinned as Costia shoved her playfully with a laugh.

"That's what you took from that?" Costia laughed again in disbelief. "Here I am telling you how cute you are and you're too busy correcting me to notice." Lincoln's sister bit her lip nervously and shook her head. "What am I going to do with you Lexa?" The question needed no answer, Costia was starting to lean in and then stopped immediately with a stunned look on her face.

It took Lexa a few seconds to register the warm touch of hands moving around her waist and the familiar scent of Clarke close to her face. The blondes lips were so close to Lexa's ear, it brought goosebumps to her skin as the blonde spoke. "Hey baby. I was hoping I could steal you away for awhile." Clarke placed a couple of kisses against Lexa's jaw and then looked up for the first time, acting as if she'd only just noticed Costia.

"Oh shit. Sorry Costia." The blonde let out a husky laugh while wrapping her arms more comfortably around Lexa. " I get all excited when I see this one." She gave Lexa a little squeeze. " I forget there are other people around." Clarke smiled before burying her face gently into Lexa's neck and inhaling her scent with a comforting sigh.

Lexa turned into the dopey, loved up idiot she always was whenever Clarke was around and turned her head towards the blonde with a goofy grin, whispering. "Hey."

"Hey yourself." Clarke whispered and placed a little kiss on Lexa's cheek before turning back to Costia who was looking a little uncomfortable and very disappointed.

"So you guys are together I take it." Costia tried to smile politely. "Either that or Clarke's just overly affectionate to beautiful women." She chuckled humourlessly, giving Lexa a soft smile.

The brunette nodded and shared a smile with Clarke. "I finally built up the courage to ask Clarke to be my girlfriend and she said yes." Lexa's skin was starting to flush but she didn't care with Clarke safely wrapped around her.

Clarke snorted. " As if I'd ever say no! I would think you'd realise that, considering how much time my tongue spends in your mouth." The blonde grinned cheekily, squeezing Lexa gently who was practically as red as a tomato by now.

Clarke turned back to Costia. "Sorry! Too much info, I know." She chuckled, not sorry in the slightest. Costia needed to know that Lexa was happily taken.

Costia waved the apology off. "It's fine. I'm glad Lexa has found someone that makes her happy." She nodded once with a sad smile on her lips, giving Lexa all of her eye contact.

"Thanks Cos." The brunette smiled at her friend, too busy enjoying the feeling of Clarke around her body to realise Costia's disappointment.

"Anyway, I'll leave you guys to it. My mom's probably getting busy at the reception."

_Ha. I just caught her gettin' busy in Lexa's caravan! Clarke thought to herself with a smirk._

"Okay Cos. It was great seeing you... We should hang out soon." Lexa offered while playing with Clarke's fingers. Costia was fun and friendly and the brunette really wanted to have a solid friendship with her. 

"Yeah! Totally." Costia smiled happily at that then glanced awkwardly at Clarke who seemed to be sizing her up over Lexa's shoulder.

" Hey squirt!"

All three girls turned towards Anya's hollering voice.

" Dad said you're taking too long so he's about to jump in the shower and use the last of the hot water!" Anya grinned happily from the veranda and started to squeeze her wet hair out onto the grass below.

Lexa's jaw dropped open in betrayal. "No way! I was next!" The brunette quickly shuffled out of Clarke's grip and took off down the path, shouting behind her. " Sorry Cos! I'll see you soon! ...Clarke, gimmie like ten minutes! " 

The two girls that were left. Both laughed at Lexa's adorable family antics. 

Costia turned back to Clarke with a tilt of the head. "Hey, I know we don't really know each other that well...I mean we pretty much grew up together but we aren't exactly besties are we?" She smiled politely and once Clarke confirmed that with her own uncomfortable smile, Lexa's friend continued. "I'm a nice person. I really am...I'm smart and confident and I usually get what I want. I guess that's why I'm so popular." She shrugged. 

Clarke wanted to roll her eyes and walk away but she stood still and waited to see where Costia was going with this...plus, if she made any sudden movements right now, she ran the risk of falling over Costia's epic ego and she really didn't wanna bruise over summer!

" I'm not gonna bullshit you. I like Lexa, I think that's pretty obvious and yeah, it sucks now that I know you guys are together but..." Costia shrugged again as if she wasn't phased by it. " there's still a lot of summer to go and you guys have clearly only just gotten together...I guess what I'm saying is, anything can happen and I fully intend on winning Lexa over." The brunette blushed a little with a cocky smirk like she didn't expect the blonde to be the type to stand up to the show of dominance that she was displaying.

Costia was right...they _really_ didn't know each other.

Clarke had to bit her lip to stop herself laughing as her whole face lit up with amusement. She waited a few more seconds before she spoke. "Oh. Are you done? Actually let me rephrase that. You're done." The blonde scoffed and made herself look as tall and as threatening as she could as she moved into Costia's personal space. "I get it...Lexa's amazing. She's gentle and kind and obviously stunning, Of course you want her." Clarke nodded with a smile as her eyes stared directly into Costia's. "But she chose me." She then moved in real close to Costia's ear and whispered. "So back the fuck off."

Clarke pulled back with a fake smile and a cheeky wink before turning and walking in the direction of Lexa's caravan. Costia remained standing there with shock and resentment in her eyes. Thanks to Octavia's advice and Clarke's attitude, Costia was now even more determined to get the girl. Their fight was not over.

Two nice girls, losing their sweetness over soft green eyes and a dopey grin...

There was still plenty of summer left and Clarke had every intention of spending as much of it with Lexa as humanly possible.

Problem was, so did Costia.

The night was ending, leaving the rest of summer with so many possible outcomes. All that was certain, at least one relationship would end in sadness before the start of a new school year.

* * *

_**The Pier** _

* * *

**From: Momma Bear ( 7:33 )**

**Hey sweetie, I hope your wall is going well! I'm afraid I have to pull a double shift tonight so don't expect to see me till the morning. :( There's food in the fridge, don't let your father order pizza! He will turn into pizza one of these days. Love you xxx be safe tonight and stay inside. xxx**

Clarke smiled down at the text and wiped the red smudge of paint off her phone with a clean patch of her sleeve. The blonde had left the Dropship about twenty minutes ago and had only remembered now, the text popping up on her phone a couple of hours earlier. She was far too busy at the time to look at it, her design on the wall was finally starting to look like something and the more it came to life, the more excited and busy she found herself, not wanting to stop while the energy was flowing.

It was a hot, humid day in Polis and the weather channels had warned heavy rain, thunderstorms and lightning later on in the day. Clarke had been on edge and tense about it ever since she found out...

Clarke Griffin was absolutely terrified of lightning. It was perhaps, the thing she feared most in the world... Well spiders were a close second but lightning was just a big fat hell no in her book! 

Raven was the opposite, she was like a kid on Christmas morning each time the sky lit up, her face was never more filled with joy than when she was watching electricity shooting across the darkness above. Clarke thought she was insane and always pulled Raven away from the window and freaked the fuck out each time Raven went to open the front door.

Lightning was scary as hell and Clarke hated that Polis had many days like this each summer time...living so close to the beach was a dream but it also had it's down side...the lightning was far more aggressive and the rain fell in heavy down pours. Tonight was going to be a nightmare.

Clarke sighed to herself. Her walk along the pier and the shuffling through crowds of holiday makers, was all done on autopilot and suddenly she found herself outside Jake's bait shop.

There was a heavy thump as Jake placed a box full of fishing equipment down onto the deck, followed by a groan as he rubbed his lower back. Clarke guessed Jasper was a no show again and made a mental note to shout at her friend.

Jake looked up at the sound of Clarke's trainers squeaking against the wood and smiled happily. "Hey kiddo. How was work? I'm judging by how much paint you have on your clothes that it went brilliantly." He chuckled brightly.

Clarke looked down at herself and blushed a little. Her shirt was 80% more multicoloured than it was when she left the house this morning. "Yeah, it's going well. I think I'm working at a decent pace but then I look around and a lot of the other artists are so much further ahead than I am." Clarke shrugged and sat down on Jake's deck chair, feeling a little crappy about her art skills.

" Let's not forget alot of those guys had a whole extra day to work on their walls, honey." Jake reminded with a raised brow. " Plus, just because they're working faster, doesn't mean their final design will be any better, in fact, it'll probably looked rushed and blurry." Her father pointed out with a nod and rested against the wall of his bait shop. " You take your time kiddo. I know you, you're a perfectionist... Your artwork is always stunning because you take care and spend hours, filling in the finest of details to make sure it looks incredible. Forget everyone else, you're doing great. I know it." Jake winked and threw a dirty rag into Clarke's lap playfully.

The blonde crinkled her nose up at the gross rag and threw it back at Jake. "Thanks for saying that." Clarke smiled up at her father. " It helps hearing your dad wisdom and words of support." 

"Anytime sweetie. Oh, I'm taking Raven up to her mom's house today to pick up some more of her belongings if you wanna tag along." Jake asked while picking up some of the new stock and placing it just through the doorway of his shop. 

"Nah, I'm good. I think I'll head to Lexa's in a little while." Clarke felt her cheeks reddening. It was ridiculous that, that was still happening to her each time she thought of her girlfriend. Clarke had it bad.

"Oh yeahhh?" Jake wiggled his eyebrows around as he looked at his daughter while lifting a new box up.

Clarke rolled her eyes and lightly tapped the back of Jake's leg with her foot. "Don't start. It's too early in the day to deal with that..." Clarke raised a hand and gestured to all of Jake. 

Her father chuckled from inside his shop. 

"Oh, mom's working late tonight so you better be home early to protect me from the hell storm that's on it's way." Clarke mumbled vulnerably and sunk further into her seat.

Jake's voice flowed out of the back of the shop in calming, reassuring tones. "You'll be fine honey, you'll have me and Raven to keep you company. We've had many of these storms before and nothing's happened to you yet." Her dad meant that to come out as a positive but Clarke groaned in annoyance. "Why would you say that?! Thanks for jinxing me father!"

Jake laughed and apologised. "Sorry kiddo!"

"I wish mom was home tonight." Clarke huffed quietly. 

"You don't need her, you'll have my wonderful comp...hey wait...shall we order pizza tonight?" Jake stuck his head out of the door with big hopeful eyes. 

Clarke couldn't help but grin and shake her head at her dad. The guy really would give up all of his earthly possessions for a good slice of pizza.

* * *

_**Polis Beachside Caravan Park** _

* * *

By late afternoon, the Woods family had settled in for the rest of the night. Five rounds of card games had been played and after Gustus had won every single one of them, the girls had decided they needed to mix things up and brought out a bunch of family games that were stashed in one of the living room cupboards.

Clarke had made it to the Woods caravan just moments before a light rain had started. The weather change had made her a little wary but the full storm wasn't supposed to happen for a good few hours yet.

Lexa and Anya were currently in the middle of a game of 'Battleship' (Clarke had managed to beat Gustus and was very much hoping to take on Lexa in the next round.) 

" D,7." Lexa's brows were furrowed in concentration as she focused on the board in front of her face.

"Nope." Anya's voice sounded slightly off and her face was hidden behind the battleship board in front of her.

Lexa peeped out from behind her board with a frown on her face. "Anya, D,7" 

"I heard you squirt. I said no." Anya glanced at Lexa before hiding again.

Lexa took a big frustrated breath and huffed in annoyance. "Ahn, D,5 was a hit and so was D,6 ...there was nothing on D,4 and I've already taken your tiny ship...D,7."

"Okay fine... Jeez. You sunk my battleship." Anya mumbled and shut the lid of her battleship box, revealing her pouting face.

"Yes! Victory! Man that last ship was a pain in the ass." Lexa collapsed backwards on the floor and sighed happily.

"I don't know what you're so happy about, you gotta go up against me now babe." Clarke winked at her girlfriend then quickly started to tickle her stomach as the position she was in was too hard to pass up.

Lexa yelped and tried her hardest to turn onto her side but Clarke was having none of it and straddled her stomach while upping her speed, leaving Lexa a shaky mess of laughter on the floor.

Anya seemed pretty happy to see her cousin suffering and opted to get a snack instead of coming to her rescue. Gustus had gone to the bathroom, leaving Lexa helpless with Clarke in hysterics on top of her.

The moment ended quite quickly as a low rumble of thunder sounded. Stopping Clarke in her tracks and leaving her tense and frozen on top of Lexa's stomach.

The brunette used the moment of relief to calm herself down but as soon as she noticed the look of terror on Clarke's face, Lexa gently placed a concerned hand on Clarke's knee and squeezed lightly, making the blonde jolt a little as she came back to reality.

"Hey, are you okay Clarke?" The brunette asked carefully while stroking her thumb softly over Clarke's knee, the gentleness in her beautiful green eyes, trying to reassure her girlfriend that she was safe.

"Huh? Oh." Clarke cleared her dry throat and nodded. " Yeah, sorry." She gave a tight smile. "I'm fine, don't worry." The blonde leaned down and pressed a quick kiss to Lexa's lips before removing herself from the brunette's stomach.

"Want to play another game?" The blonde asked cheerily as if the sudden panic was now over.

"Sure, you can beat my ass and then we'll wait for Gustus, so we can play something, all together." Lexa replied with a smile while deciding to keep an eye on Clarke for the rest of the night. There was something wrong and Lexa wasn't about to let it go.

* * *

"I'm telling you, I really don't think this is how you play Dominoes." Clarke laughed as Gustus placed down a double four then took an extra turn because he played a domino with double sides.

" Griffin, we have a peanut down on the table in place of the missing double blank domino...nothing about this is correct!" Anya quipped and placed down a three and a six. " it's an old man game anyway but there's not many games here where four people can play." She shrugged and moved the rest of her Dominoes along in the box she was using for privacy.

"Hey! I take offence at that." Gustus grumbled. "I'm not old. What's that saying? You're only as old as -" 

"The woman you feel." Anya jumped in with a smirk.

Well that line was enough to have Clarke choking and spraying her drink everywhere...

Everyone around the table moved back as to not get caught up in the blondes splash zone.

"Fuck Griffin! Take a breath." Anya laughed and used her sleeve to clear up a few droplets on the table.

Lexa shuffled back over to Clarke and patted her back gently. "Are you good?" The brunette couldn't control the smirk appearing on her lips and received a playful tap on the leg from Clarke once she calmed down again.

"I'm fine, asshole." The blondes voice came out all croaky and she coughed again while laughing.

"It's an old joke Clarke. Anya's really not that funny." Lexa smiled as a paper ball hit her on the shoulder from Anya who huffed out "Rude."

Clarke smiled while her mind replayed what she had walked in on last night.. Gustus and Indra...Anya's innocent little joke was just unfortunate. 

The blonde casually glanced at Gustus who was a little red in the face and hadn't spoken since. Clarke felt a little guilty and tried to ease the tension.

"Okay. My turn right? Let's see..." Clarke tilted her head in thought and managed to keep a straight face as she placed down a six and a two.

Clarke turned to Lexa who was looking at her with a look of betrayal and a small pout that the blonde wanted to kiss off her lips.

Lexa whined and knocked quietly on the table, letting everyone know she had no two's or blank's left and therefore couldn't have a turn. ( The fact that she had no blank's left, was established on her last turn and Clarke was keeping track as the game went on.) 

"Oh no two's honey? I'm sorry." Gustus grinned, not really sorry in the slightest as he placed down a blank and a three.

Lexa mumbled something under her breath and Clarke placed a tiny kiss on her shoulder as an apology.

Anya then placed a three and a five down which was perfect for Clarke who barked out a laugh, placing down a five and a two, which left Lexa facing two sides of two's.

Everyone apart from Lexa started to laugh and heckle while the brunette sunk down in her seat and flashed Clarke her puppy eyes while knocking gently on the table.

The blonde melted into a giant puddle and pulled Lexa into her arms tightly while whispering through giggle fits. "Aww, I'm sorry baby. Forgive me?" Clarke pulled back flashing her own sad eyes and Lexa huffed and mumbled a "Kay." That brought more laughter from her girlfriend.

"How did you know I had no two's from the start?" Lexa asked accusingly with a raised brow.

" Simple, I started with almost every two and the ones I didn't have, Anya had played them already." The blonde smiled cheesily. Far too happy with herself and Lexa glared at her while her insides were also betraying her and fluttering with butterflies that only happened when Clarke was near by.

Lexa was loved up and nobody was surprised when Clarke won the game.

* * *

The weather had started to rumble more as time went on but Clarke was so focused on the games being played and the conversations being had that she hadn't really noticed the heavy rain on the tin roof or that time had moved on considerably, it was only when a text came through, that all of that changed.

**From: Papa Bear ( 18:46 )**

**Hey kiddo, how you holding up? You're gonna hate me I know but Raven and I are stuck at her house until the weather let's up. It's too dangerous to be out driving in this... You're safe though, honey. I promise! X**

It all started to register in Clarke's mind... The weather had turned and she wasn't even home yet...the house was empty and she'd be all alone when the lightning started. Her heart was starting to race as a wave of panic set in.

Lexa being the sweetest person in the world, noticed the moment the look of terror returned to her girlfriend's face and carefully pulled the blonde to a quiet corner out of earshot from the others inside the caravan.

"Clarke, talk to me...please? I know you're not okay." Lexa held both of Clarke's hands and encouraged her to speak with soothing thumb strokes and soft knuckle kisses.

"It's... I'm not." Clarke struggled to put her words together as the rain hit the roof of the caravan harder. 

Lexa opened the door out of the kitchen and pulled Clarke through, shutting it again behind them. They were both now standing in the narrow corridor, the brunette's instincts were taking over and bringing Clarke into a smaller space without windows and surrounding the blonde with softer lighting and solid walls seemed like a good idea. 

It seemed to be working as Lexa noticed Clarke's breathing had started to return to normal and the panic that was on her face was now replaced by relief.

"Clarke baby, talk to me." Lexa's arms were around her girlfriend, hands slowly rubbing up and down her back.

"Storms." Clarke croaked out then buried her nose into Lexa's neck for a second to inhale her calming scent. She pulled back after a moment to looking into soft green eyes. " I'm fucking terrified of lightning... I knew the weather was turning but I forgot about it because I was enjoying my time with your family....I was supposed to be home by now" Clarke sighed at herself for not paying attention to the time. 

"My mom's working through the night and my dad and Raven are stuck at her old house until the storm let's up...I...I don't know what to do Lex." The blonde started to tear up and whimper as Lexa pulled her tightly into her body.

"Hey shhh. It's okay baby." Lexa kissed the top of Clarke's head and squeezed her tighter as thunder rumbled loudly through the caravan. " Clarke, you are more than welcome to stay the night. You're my girlfriend after all. " the brunette chuckled quietly while cuddling the blonde closely. " if you thought I was gonna letcha leave before the storm was over, you are crazy. I need you here with me, so I know you're safe." 

Clarke pulled back to wipe her eyes with her sleeve and placed a soft kiss on Lexa's lips. "I don't wanna put your family out by -"

"Clarke come on...my family love you, I promise you are more than welcome to stay over, in fact..." Lexa opened the door to the kitchen again and shouted into the living room where Gustus and Anya were both sitting. " Guys, is it okay with you, if my _girlfriend,_ Clarke stays the night?" 

Clarke's jaw dropped as Lexa pretty much just came out to her uncle.

Anya was grinning and watching as her dad was beaming at finally being let in on the world's worst kept secret.

Lexa's ears were on fire but when were they not?? 

" Of course! Please Clarke, stay over and keep us company!" Gustus was practically bouncing in his seat. " Welcome to the family honey!" 

Lexa turned back around to her girlfriend with a goofy grin on her face and was immediately pulled into a deep kiss that lasted far longer than what was appropriate in front of other family members.

Clarke was too busy whispering how proud she was of Lexa that both girls missed Anya's groan of "Get a room nerds."

* * *

As the night went on and the worst of the storm started, it was soon made clear that Clarke wasn't the only one scared of lightning.

" Oh God. Did you see that?! It's so fucking loud now!" Anya was pacing back and forth in the living room while Gustus was trying to get the TV to work in the crappy weather. 

The curtains were drawn and Lexa had hung her jacket up over the glass door, to block out as much of the flashes as she could. Clarke was currently sat on Lexa's lap with her head buried into the brunette's neck as both of her hands, clung tightly to the hoody Lexa was now wearing.

A loud crack of thunder sounded above the caravan, followed by a lightning flash.

" Oh God. This is it. The next ones gonna be me." Anya whined dramatically as she continued to pace.

Lexa couldn't help the laugh that escaped. Anya _really_ wasn't helping the situation but at least her ridiculous behaviour was amusing to watch. It also seemed to be helping Clarke who kept chuckling into Lexa's shoulder each time Anya said something over the top.

It eventually occurred to Lexa that Anya was trying to ease Clarke's fears with her antics when she noticed a little smile appear on her lips when Clarke was able to relax a tiny bit and loosen her grip on Lexa's hoody. Her cousin would deny it forever but underneath the obnoxiousness and death glares, she was really just a kind and warm ball of love with a dirty mouth.

* * *

Nobody could put it off any longer, it was just after 11pm and bedtime was calling. The weather had only gotten worse over the last couple of hours. The lightning had stopped for awhile and everyone was able to relax and take bathroom breaks while they felt safe but once the rain started up again, the thunderstorms came back and flashes of light started to happen every few minutes. The storm was in full force and what made it worse was that it was so fucking hot! 

Lexa was in her bedroom, stripping as many sheets and covers off the bed as she could, they only really needed something light and thin to cover them after all...

Yes. Them...

That was the other thing. Clarke was about to share Lexa's tiny single bed with her in the middle of a hot summers night! The blonde was too freaked out to sleep in the bed next to Lexa's and Lexa hadn't really taken into account the size of her bed when she had offered to share. 

Things were going to be cramped that's for sure! Was it even possible to fit two people in that bed?? Lexa's brows furrowed in thought...Maybe if they squeeze in close on their sides or maybe if Clarke lays on top of her...

The brunette's skin flushed and she decided not to think about it as she finished changing into a thin white vest top and her starry boxer shorts. 

There was a gentle tap on the door before it opened slowly, giving Lexa time to cover up if she wasn't decent.

The blonde walked into the bedroom wearing a baggy T-shirt that hung off one shoulder and belonged to Anya and holy hell...no shorts... Lexa cleared her dry throat and tried not to stare. Obviously Clarke was wearing underwear... She had to be but all Lexa could see was gorgeous legs and soft pale thighs that peeped out from under the black, punk T-shirt.

Clarke was grinning at Lexa's reaction to her outfit. She knew she looked hot but at the same time, she was _actually_ fucking hot and the less material on her body, the better.

She was about to tease the brunette when a loud crack of thunder sounded and startled the crap out of her.

"Hey, it's okay baby. You're safe." Lexa reminded as she gently ran her nose along Clarke's in reassurance.

The blonde nodded and sat on the mattress of the other bed as Lexa finished getting her bed ready. She had made sure to text her dad back and let him know that she was safe at Lexa's for the night.

He was relieved that she was safe and also not mad at him for not being able to be with her....He also sent lots of heart eye emojis and kissy faces when she mentioned that Lexa was looking after her... Jake was an ass.

Lexa turned around in the small gap between the beds to place Commander Rocky, the mighty space raccoon into Clarke's arms. "He's to cuddle on thundery nights, remember?" The brunette smiled warmly and Clarke melted into a puddle. Lexa had remembered what she had said when they were busy owning the games in Arkadia. 

"God Lex." Clarke shook her head in disbelief. "You are amazing, you know that right?" She placed Rocky onto the mattress and stood to pull Lexa into a hug. "You listen and you keep finding new ways to be incredible and I just..." Clarke shook her head again and pulled back to look into her favourite eyes. " I need you to know that you mean the world to me and I'm kinda obsessed with you." She smirked a little and Lexa chuckled, placing kisses on Clarke's hands.

"I feel the same way Clarke. I think about you more than anything else, in fact ...you are my one and only thought." Lexa placed a kiss on Clarke's cheek then turned and pulled the thin sheet down on the bed. "So...how are we doing this?" The brunette tilted her head in confusion as Clarke grinned at Lexa's puzzled face.

"Okay, Woods. Get in and lay on your side, as close to the wall as possible."

Lexa nodded and shuffled past Clarke as she climbed onto the tiny bed and quickly moved over as far as she could before patting the space next to her.

There really wasn't much room but seeing as the lightening was flashing all over the place, Clarke was more than happy to squeeze in, even in the uncomfortably hot weather.

They just about fit...sort of. Clarke was dangerously close to the edge, any sudden movements and she'd fall flat on her ass. Lexa wrapped an arm around her waist securely and really didn't need to move much at all to place a soft kiss on Clarke's lips. "Well this is cosy." She chuckled.

Clarke ran a hand into Lexa's hair and rested their foreheads against each other, tensing up as thunder crackled above them.

Lexa whispered to get her attention back. "Hey." She brushed her nose against Clarke's gently. " Is there a reason you're so scared by stormy weather? "

"Ontari." Clarke muttered in annoyance. " I'm not sure how old I was...maybe around six or seven? Anyway, my parents and my aunt Nia...Ontari's mom. Had a party to go to or something and I was taken over to Ontari's house so a babysitter could look after us both. It was a really useless teenage girl if I remember rightly...she barely spoke to us and had her headphones in most of the night...anyway...as soon as I arrived, I went into the garden to finish off the picture I was drawing for mother's day and I left my picture outside when I was called in for dinner...I kinda forgot about it and it started to rain outside. Ontari reminded me and for some naive reason, I thought she was just being helpful." The blonde huffed out a laugh. 

"I ran outside to pick my picture up off the bench and as I turned to run back inside, I saw Ontari grinning like an idiot from the other side of the door."

Lexa sighed in sympathy as she knew where the story was heading. "She locked you out." 

"Yup." Clarke smiled sadly and melted into the kiss that was placed on her head. "I remember hammering on the door for ages, trying to get the babysitters attention but she couldn't hear me over her music. The thunder started not long after and I just sat on the doorstep, curled into a ball as the rain came down on me." Clarke's eyes started to water from the memory and Lexa pulled her closer to her body.

"Lex, when I saw the first lightning bolt..." The blonde shook her head. "It was the scariest fucking thing I'd ever seen. It was so bright and the thunder was so loud... I just stayed in my ball and hoped my mom would rescue me." 

"Did she?" Lexa asked quietly.

Clarke shook her head. "Eventually the babysitter found me and at least had the decency to feel ashamed of herself, though I think she was just scared of how my parents were gonna react. I'd been outside in the pouring rain while lightning was striking all around me and nobody was there to keep me safe. I hate it Lex, I'm never gonna be okay when it's storming outside." Clarke had practically climbed on top of Lexa by this point and only now, had she realised.

Lexa was mostly laying on her back, her left arm, Clarke was using as a pillow while her right hand was slowly moving up and down the blondes back. "I'm sorry that happened to you Clarke." Their faces were so close to each other that whispering was all that was needed. " I wish I could've been there to keep you safe." Clarke's nose, gently rubbed against Lexa's as her eyes darted all over Lexa's face and soft inviting lips. 

"You're here now." The blonde whispered back and pressed her body into Lexa's as a flash beamed through the curtain. The sudden movement had Lexa's hand slip under the back of Clarke's T-shirt and firmly pressed into her lower back.

Clarke's breath hitched at the sensation and she was suddenly very aware of Lexa's heart pounding beneath her. 

It didn't take long for Clarke to bring her lips down on Lexa's and pulled the brunette into the most intense kiss she'd ever had. Both girls were panting hot breaths into each others faces as Clarke's tongue licked deep into Lexa's mouth, making the girl moan quietly. Hot sweaty thighs were starting to tangle between each other as Lexa's hand shot up Clarke's bare back.

The blonde pulled back slightly to look into Lexa's eyes. This was the first time that anyone had ever had this much freedom with her body. Lexa's hand was stroking slowly up and down the bare skin of her back, there wasn't even a bra strap in the way...all it would take is one little movement in a different direction and Lexa would be touching the side of her breast. That thought sent a hot tingle right between her thighs and she went to shut them instinctively, forgetting her legs were tangled between Lexa's.

The brunette gasped as wet heat came down on to her bare thigh and she panted shallowly against Clarke's lips. Holy fuck. What the hell was happening... Clarke definitely had underwear on... Very wet underwear that was now dragging along Lexa's thigh, making the brunette dizzy as Clarke's tongue had started to run along her heated ear, nibbling gently.

Lexa's hand had moved it's way back down and was gripping Clarke's ass through her underwear and squeezing desperately, closing her eyes as her girlfriend was now fully on top of her. She allowed herself to get lost in the sensations of Clarke's lips against her ear, panting out curse words as she felt Clarke's hard nipples, rubbing against her own, through both of their thin shirts as she pressed in closer. Oh god, this was...

Both girls jolted apart as a ridiculously loud crack of thunder pounded above their heads.

"Holy fuck!! I'm not even joking this time, I'm not dying alone!" Anya stormed into the bedroom, making both girls squeal and cover up even though there was really nothing to see.

Anya smirked and pointed their way while wiggling her eyebrows about. "Heeey, what did I just walk in ..Oh fuck! Oww!" The older Woods cousin collapsed onto the bottom of Lexa's bed and held her foot with a whimper.

"Oh wow! Look! I found the double blank domino!" Anya perked proudly and held up the missing piece from the domino box. Clarke collapsed backwards onto Lexa with a sigh of frustration and tried to stop her heart from beating out of her chest.

Why the hell were there no locks on the bedroom doors?! 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't mind me...just figuring out my comfort levels on writing smut for the general public lol. o.O 
> 
> I finished my Christmas shopping! 🙌🙌🙌
> 
> Christmas tree going up at the weekend! 🎄🎁
> 
> I hope this chapter helps you get off... ( to sleep! Ahem.) 
> 
> Stay warm and safe!
> 
> Tumblr - hernightsky
> 
> 💖


	14. Shakes, Fakes & One Obnoxious Blake

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Clexa have a little moment after the night before. Clarke works on her wall. Lexa hangs out with Costia on the beach. Clarke hangs with a distracted Raven. Lexa is introduced to Octavia. Diner conversations and Lexa and Anya are... themselves.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm here! I'm here! 🙋🙋🙋

* * *

The storm had started to settle around 2:30am. Anya had made her way back to her room about 40 minutes earlier, there was only so many Clexa kisses and shared, dopey glances, towards each other, that she could take without wanting to throw something at them and had mumbled "It's impolite to shag when you have company." As she shut the door behind her. Both of the other girls had given into exhaustion not long after.

The morning after a heavy storm was always eerily quiet... everything was still, no winds blowing a breeze or birds chirping away in the trees. It was so peaceful and always reminded Clarke of the big sigh of relief that follows after an emotionally draining anxiety attack. 

It was 5:27am and Clarke was already up and dressed in the same clothes that she had arrived in. She needed to be at the Dropship for 6am and her internal body clock had woken her up earlier than she had wanted, this morning. The caravan park was a lot closer to the Dropship than her own house so she had stayed in bed, watching the beautiful brunette beside her dream away in peaceful sleep for the extra few minutes. The blonde really wasn't complaining, though she did wish she had brought her sketchbook with her...there was no such thing as too many Lexa sketches in her opinion.

Clarke's hair curtained Lexa's face as she bent down to press gentle kisses down Lexa's nose to her lips, waking her girlfriend in the sweetest way possible.

The brunette moaned softly into the kisses while slowly waking into the new day. Clarke began to lightly scratch her fingers through Lexa's hair to help pull her from her sleepy daze and grinned as the brunette chased her lips with a pout as she pulled back from her sleepy kisses. "Good morning gorgeous." Clarke spoke softly with a smile before granting Lexa's wishes of one more kiss. "I'm sorry to wake you baby but I have to get going, I don't want to be late to the diner." The blonde placed one more kiss on Lexa's lips, just because she could. "I didn't want you to wake up to an empty bed and think that I skipped out on you." She smirked, her hand still wrapped in brunette waves that Clarke spent most of the night happily inhaling for comfort.

Lexa looked so soft and cosy, as she gazed happily into the blondes eyes, it took all of Clarke's strength not to climb back in beside her. "Did you manage to get any sleep at all?" The brunette asked with concern as she removed her hand from under the bed sheet and gently tangled her fingers through Clarke's.

The blonde nodded and gave Lexa's hand a squeeze. " I don't remember much after Anya left, I guess being safely curled up in my girlfriends arms, had something to do with that." Clarke chuckled quietly, unable to take her eyes off the gorgeous girl with the sleepy grin on her face.

"Happy to be of service." Lexa smiled and brought Clarke's hand to her lips, kissing her fingers softly.

The room fell quiet for a moment as Clarke worked up the courage to bring up the sudden urgency of heat filled touches and kisses that came over them last night. One look at Lexa's flushed skin and the fact her eyes were shyly darting all over the blondes face, showed that she was probably having the exact same thoughts.

"So, last night was... interesting." Clarke laughed awkwardly, the redness in her cheeks, started to match Lexa's. "Listen." The blonde pulled Lexa's hand into her lap and kept ahold of it to calm her own nerves. " I was beyond terrified when the storm was at it's worst and yet I felt so safe and protected because you were with me the whole time, the tight squeezes and whispered reassurances, kept me from freaking the fuck out." Clarke chuckled quietly. "It meant the world to me Lex...you mean the world to me." She lowered herself so that her forehead was resting against Lexa's. " My emotions were all over the place last night and you allowed me to just _be,_ you never asked anything of me, never told me to toughen up or laughed at how scared I got...you just gave everything you could to make me feel safe and fuck...I just...it made me want you so badly." Just saying the words had Clarke's heart hammering in her chest. 

Lexa gulped nervously and dragged her tongue over her dry lips before clearing her throat to speak. "Clarke, I.."

"No please, let me finish." The blonde cut in with a little squeeze of the hand.

"I don't regret any second of it. Well... Apart from Anya barging in." Clarke rolled her eyes and both girls laughed quietly. "It felt right and intense and...it was really fucking hot." Clarke bit her lip to try and control the blush from getting worse. " But I understand if you just got caught up in the moment...I mean, if that was more than you're ready for. I completely get it...I never want you to feel uncomfortable with me." The blonde smiled gently, she really had to get going but how could she when Lexa was looking at her with such affection?

" Clarke, I _was_ comfortable." Lexa reassured, placing a light kiss at the corner of the blondes mouth. " It just...it happened and it felt right and like I never wanted to stop." The brunette huffed out a laugh. " I wanted you just as badly, Clarke." Lexa mumbled quietly as her ears caught up with the redness in her cheeks. "I'm not saying I'm ready to... Well, you know." She looked away awkwardly with a gulp and Clarke couldn't help the laugh that escaped. Lexa was incredibly cute and Clarke was willing to fight anyone who disagreed with that statement.

"But...I enjoyed last night...before Anya barged in." The brunette smirked. " And I'm very comfortable with taking things up a notch. I mean, if you are too... Not like a high notch but you know...a notch higher than where we are but we really don't have to! I love what we have and..." Lexa sighed to stop herself rambling further. " I said notch too many times." She mumbled with a frown, looking up at Clarke with a smile as the blonde started to laugh.

"You did baby, but I got your point." Clarke bit her lip again to control the giant grin that tried to break out and once again moved to kiss Lexa softly on the lips. "I'm totally good with kicking things up a notch." The blonde smiled and ran her nose along Lexa's and felt a shiver run down her spine as her girlfriend whispered " glad to hear it." against her lips.

The sudden singing of birds outside in the trees, reminded Clarke that she was going to be late. "Okay, if I don't run now, everyone else will fill up the juke box and I'll be stuck listening to weird country music." Clarke whined with a pout and placed Rocky the raccoon into Lexa's arms. "He'll keep you company while I'm gone.Try and get some more sleep, okay?" The blonde smiled again as the brunette gave a little nod and gently leaned over to place a line of kisses along Lexa's jaw before standing back up. 

Lexa smiled sleepily and blew a kiss at the blonde before burying her face into Rocky and closing her eyes, allowing her body to relax for a few more hours.

* * *

_**The Dropship Diner** _

* * *

" Is it me, or do the cracks in the wall, add some texture to my aliens face?" Gaia tilted her head to the side while nibbling on the end of her paint brush as she took in the picture infront of her.

Clarke chuckled from beside her and turned to face her new friends wall, tilting her head in the same direction as Gaia. " I think you're right, he looks...old and full of wisdom, like he's got some fascinating stories to tell." The blonde grinned. " He flew all this way, just to get his hands...or tentacles?" Clarke's brows furrowed in thought. "On a Dropship shake and fries. The food really _is out_ of this world." She nudged Gaia playfully who rolled her eyes with a smile at the lame joke.

It was nearing 9am and the diner would have to open soon. The Dropship staff had started to turn up a little while ago and were helping some of the artists in covering up their work and clearing away all of the dust sheets that were covering up the bar and seating areas.

"I think I'm starting to work out what your design will look like once it's finished." Gaia turned towards Clarke's wall and once again tilted her head in thought. "Gotta admit, since you started with this section first." She gestured to the middle of Clarke's design with her empty hand. " All of the silhouettes of falling bodies...yup...kinda creeped me out a little." Both girls laughed, Clarke's more hysterically.

"Oh God" the blonde laughed while wiping the tears, streaming down her face. "You must've thought I was mentally disturbed or something! I'm surprised you didn't ask to move to a different wall." Gaia shook her head with a grin and started patting Clarke on the back as she started to cough on her fits of laughter.

"I would never!" Gaia clutched her chest in faux offence. "I _did_ wonder about asking the managers, what the hell they were thinking, though...I mean, I know they're pretty 'out there' dudes but floating dead bodies in a diner, doesn't exactly scream... 'in the mood for waffles.' " she snorted with a smile.

Clarke's design had started to come along nicely over the last couple of days, recieving impressed nods and shocked 'woaaah's' from fellow artists as they walked through the door. Clarke was beaming with all of the praise and even heard rumours that her design was the favourite of the managers, she couldn't wait for friends and family to see and of course Lexa. God, Clarke really hoped her girlfriend would love it...her heart and soul were put in to each brush stroke, Clarke became a part of each picture she created, she felt exposed, allowing the world to see the real her through her work...to dislike her art was basically saying they didn't like the woman within it, or at least, that is what the self conscious part of her brain told her.

"They're not dead!" The blonde defended while crossing her arms in a playful huff. " Yes, they are falling from the sky but they're clearly alive I mean, those two silhouettes are obviously holding hands and that one looks like they're gliding like Peter Pan. Once I get the starry sky behind them and work on the piece above, it'll all come together nicely. Trust me." The blonde nodded to herself in determination.

"Have faith in this little firecracker." Niylah came and stood behind Clarke and placed both hands on the blondes shoulders, giving them a friendly squeeze as she took in Clarke's work. " Clarke never fails to amaze the public with her work, she's super talented and this piece will be admired by every single person who enters the building." Niylah winked as Clarke glanced her way with a slight blush on her cheeks and gave her shoulders another squeeze.

"Thanks Niylah, that's very kind. I really hope you're right." Clarke smiled politely and took a deep breath as she studied her own work.

"Okay fine, blondie has skills but try and tell me that thisisn't the best space alien you've ever seen!" Gaia questioned with a raised brow.

Both Niylah and Clarke laughed quietly, neither girl noticing they were being watched by Costia who had just entered the Dropship.

* * *

_**Polis Beach** _

* * *

Another hot, sticky day covered the beach town of Polis. It seemed that everyone had, had the same idea about coping with the sweltering heat by spending the day, cooling off in the sea. Lexa had never seen so many people all at once, before. 

The beach was covered in deck chairs, towels, giant umbrellas and screaming children who were running away from frustrated parents, trying to cover them in thick layers of sun screen. The whole scene made Lexa feel slightly uneasy but luckily Costia was distracting her with fun conversation and silly games.

It was now nearing 2pm and both girls had finally made their way off the pier after losing round after round of air hockey to a couple of fourteen year old girls who had challenged them in the arcade after noticing how rubbish they both were.

Costia had then decided she wanted ice cream so they stopped at **'Ice Nation'** for two chocolate mint chip cones. Well's was polite as ever to both girls while casually keeping a cautious eye on Costia...he _was_ Clarke's best friend after all and Lexa seemed innocently oblivious to all of Costia's little hand touches and cheeky smiles. It warmed his heart that Clarke had finally found someone so worthy of her affections.

Lexa had missed hanging out with Costia. She wasn't very good at making friends and since she barely made it into school after she lost her parents, there wasn't many opportunities for her to meet people her own age and honestly, she was so lost in grief back then...she just wanted to be by herself most of the time....Polis and Clarke had brought her back to life.

The beach was so crowded and loud, that Lexa had walked them over to a clear spot near the large row of rocks that seperated the beach into sections and that disappeared into the sea when the tide was in. The rows were made up of thousands of different sized rocks, all packed together and people often walked along them when they wanted to be surrounded by the ocean while only getting their feet wet. It also kinda looked like you were walking on water to the people who were stood far away on the Pier and when is that _not_ cool??

Costia was currently dancing on top of the rocks and performing ballet moves to impress her summer time crush.

"Cos, be careful. It's really slippy up there." Lexa warned with a concerned expression as she hovered close by, ready to catch her friend if needs be.

Costia let out a chuckle as she watched Lexa acting like an over protective mother hen on the sand below. " Babe, chill. I'm not head cheerleader for nothing, my feet know exactly where they're supposed to be at all times." The tall brunette assured as she braved another spin on the tips of her toes.

" Yeah but I'm pretty sure your squad never had to perform on top of slimy rocks with crushed up seashell pieces everywhere." Lexa mumbled in a huff while pointing to the sharp edge of a broken shell that Costia almost stood on.

"No but we did have to perform inside of an empty swimming pool once... That was pretty crazy... One of the rich guys from the soccer team, hired us to do our cheer routine at his house party after they won an important game a few months back." Costia smiled at the memory and started to perform cheer moves while balancing on the tiniest of rocks. "Clarke was there I think..." Costia glanced at Lexa who seemed to perk all of a sudden. "Well I mean, she was there to begin with...I remember that was around about the time she'd started leaving parties early with Niylah." The taller brunette tried to make it sound as casual as possible but couldn't help the slight smile that crept up on her face as Lexa suddenly lost the sparkle in her eyes.

* * *

" So Costia has a bitchy streak. Who knew!" Raven raised her brows slightly in shock. "I can't believe that ultra soft, Bo Peepish, kitten loving woman, said that stuff to you..." The brunette scoffed and pulled Clarke to a stop so that they could sit down on the stone steps that over looked the beach. 

"I know." Clarke agreed with a sigh as she watched a father on the sand, struggling to keep his deck chair open. " She's always been so nice to our faces before, I guess this is the real her coming out, now that she has set her sights on Lexa." The blonde lifted her sunglasses and placed them on her head so she could feel the sun beat down on her face, closing her eyes for a few blissful seconds.

"What a Jerk weasel." 

Clarke blurted out a laugh, opening her eyes as she turned to her friend who was in the middle of sun screening her arms. " Jerk weasel??"

Raven shrugged and squirted some cream onto Clarke's bare legs and started to rub it in for her as she was wearing short, denim shorts. " Just a new thing I'm trying out."

Clarke smirked then batted Raven's hand away as it started to venture too far up her thigh, giving her a warning glare before lowering her sunglasses again.

"You have nothing to worry about Griff. Lexa's got it bad for you." Raven assured and rubbed the last of the lotion into her hands as Clarke started smiling all dreamily to herself.

"Yeah...that right there." The brunette pointed at the loved up smile on Clarke's face. "Lexa shoots you that look all of the time. Costia doesn't stand a chance."

Clarke nodded at the statement. It was true and deep down she knew not to be worried. "Thanks Rae." The blonde gently nudged Raven with her elbow.

"No worries Griff. Not that it'll happen, but even if Costia wanted to duke it out...one big breast clap from those bad boys." She gestured to Clarke's ample chest. " And Costia will go flying into the sun!" 

The blondes jaw dropped in offence but she couldn't help laughing as she smacked Raven playfully. "You're an ass. Though I want you on my side so I think now's the right time to mention that Costia is the reason your class couldn't go on the trip to the space center last year."

Raven's jaw dropped in anger.

"Well's told me that Costia complained to Jaha that it was unfair for your class to get to go away seeing as the school had no more funds to send the cheer squad to their ridiculous bootcamp thing in the same year. He pretty much caved and decided no school trips for anyone." 

"That was _her_?! That bitch! I saved up for ages so I could buy awesome NASA shit! God...what a fucking -" 

"Jerk weasel?" Clarke offered.

"Exactly!" Raven huffed then stuck her tongue out at an innocent little boy on the beach who chose the wrong moment to look up from his sandcastle.

"Raven!" Clarke scolded and nudged her again.

"Oh shit! Griff... isn't that..." Raven didn't finish her sentence and just started pointing frantically towards a tall, dark skinned woman in the distance who had on a bright green bikini and was dancing along the rocks that seperated the beach with a cute brunette in a blue shirt and black shorts, standing below in the sand, looking up at the girl with a happy smile on her face.

" Costia and Lexa." Clarke finished Raven's sentence in a quiet mutter as she glanced over at the pair. The sadness in her eyes, hidden by her sunglasses.

* * *

"Lexa. Come up here, you're gonna get trampled down there." Costia warned as Lexa got pushed closer towards the sea for the third time by a rowdy group of guys playing frisbee.

Lexa waited for the frisbee to be thrown across the beach and quickly moved out of their way and stood on the bottom level of rocks, just slightly off the sand, making Costia roll her eyes. "Much safer." She quipped sarcastically.

Lexa sent a playful scowl Costia's way and remained on the lower rocks. There _may_ be too many people on the beach at the moment, but Lexa knew how clumsy she was and mixing that with slippy rocks was just asking for trouble. 

The heat from the sun was starting to become unbearable. "Hey, you wanna head to the diner and get a milkshake? I think if I stay on the beach any longer, I'm going to pass out or maybe melt into a Lexa shaped puddle." The brunette whined as she wafted her open shirt while holding her long wavy hair away from her neck.

Costia seemed to beam at the idea, like the crazy parts of her brain were making it out to be a date. "Oh sure! Maybe we can order one jumbo shake with two straws." Costia winked cheekily but it was missed by the sun, glaring into Lexa's eyes.

"Sure, sounds good." The brunette replied on autopilot as she was too busy thinking up ways to try and sneak a peek at Clarke's wall to truly hear what Costia had just said. 

Costia smiled and allowed her eyes to roam over Lexa as her friend was dabbing at the back of her sweaty neck, trying to feel more comfortable. "Want me to tie your hair up for you?" Costia asked while pulling the hairband off her wrist and walking forward. Her concentration was now on Lexa and unfortunately not on where she was stepping. As soon as her barefoot hit a loose, slippery rock, Costia came tumbling down with a loud squeal. 

Luckily, Lexa was standing close by and once again her quick reflexes came into play and she was able to catch Costia, much like she caught Clarke's flying sketchbook all those weeks before.

"Shit. Cos, are you okay?!" Lexa quickly scanned her friend for serious injuries while holding the trembling her up. Costia hissed in pain as she tried to put weight on her foot and quickly lifted it out of the sand again. "Fuck. I think I sprained my ankle." The taller brunette gasped as she lightly poked around the delicate area.

"Put your arms around my neck." Lexa instinctively moved an arm around Costia's waist and pulled her closer. Costia _really_ didn't need telling twice and threw both arms around Lexa's neck, letting out a little squeak of shock and joy as she was soon lifted up into Lexa's arms and started to be carried bridal style down the beach. Costia was in heaven.

...and then quickly dropped in to hell.

"Hey is everything okay? We saw you take a nasty fall. Hope you didn't break anything." Clarke tried to sound concerned and licked over her lips to stop the smirk appearing on her face as she raised her sunglasses onto her head, not once breaking eye contact with Costia as she and Raven made their way over.

"Clarke." Lexa perked instantly at seeing her girlfriend and almost dropped Costia in the process as her hands loosened their grip for a moment, most likely wanting to hug Clarke in greeting and also because she was a total Labrador in a human body.

"Hey baby." Clarke smiled warmly at Lexa and affectionately ran her fingers over the brunettes strong jaw, bringing her face closer for a soft kiss. 

Costia awkwardly turned away, not wanting to see the display of affection, especially while being held in Lexa's arms. It was the loud remark from Raven that brought the loved up couples attention back to Costia. " Oh damn! That must've hurt like a bitch. Your ankle is totally swelling up!" Clarke's friend moved closer to the ankle to get a better look.

Costia looked offended all of a sudden and moved her legs away from Raven. "That's the wrong ankle!" She huffed and glared at the Latina who shot her an innocent 'whoopsie' face and quickly turned back around as she felt Clarke's hand on her leg, just in time to catch the remains of a smirk on her lips as the blonde was looking at her rude friend. 

Costia was about to say something but Clarke got there first. 

"Want me to take a look at it? Make sure it's not about to fall off or anything." The blonde tilted her head and moved closer.

Costia stiffened in Lexa's arms and shook her head, declining Clarke's offer. "No. That's okay. I'm sure it'll be fine once I've rested it for awhile." The taller brunette offered Clarke a tight smile. The truth was, it really _did_ hurt when she landed awkwardly on a lower rock, her ankle was throbbing in shock. But the pain was very mild now, the only reason Costia hadn't mentioned it, was because of how caring Lexa was being and she was never going to turn down the offer of Lexa carrying her! She wasn't fucking insane.

"You sure? I really don't mind. Having a doctor as a mother means you pick up a lot of useful information."

"Cos, you should let Clarke take a look." Lexa pleaded with the sweetest puppy eyes no girl could resist. 

Costia softened instantly and gave Clarke a small nod, making Lexa smile in the process. "Okay, let's take a look." The blonde first took a good look to see if there was anything out of place and then carefully held the wounded leg in one hand, resting the other hand under Costia's heel. "Can you wiggle your toes for me?"

Costia moved her toes around and then followed Clarke's next instructions of moving her foot up and down and then side to side and then finally let out a pitiful gasp as Clarke squeezed the ankle gently...there was no pain of course but she had to keep up the act right? 

Clarke didn't buy it but stayed professional as she finished up her inspection of the ankle. "Everything seems fine." Clarke glanced at Costia then smiled at her relieved girlfriend. "Maybe you should try walking on it again?" Clarke suggested. Definitely wanting the bitch out of her girlfriends arms.

Lexa went to lower Costia but stopped when she squeezed her arm. "I don't know...I mean, what if I do more damage?" Costia innocently bit her lip and shot Lexa her most vulnerable expression as she clung tighter to the girl holding her up.

Clarke puffed out a breath of laughter in disbelief but Lexa was too focused on Costia to notice.

"Maybe I should take you back home? We can get milkshakes another day." Lexa offered with a smile.

Costia was seconds away from accepting that offer. Alone time with the girl of her dreams while being carried in her arms...the taller brunette was too busy fantasizing when Clarke spoke up again. "At the Dropship? Awesome! Maybe once you've dropped Costia home, you could meet us at the diner." The blonde smiled lovingly at her girlfriend. "Octavia is meeting us there, it'd be great to finally introduce you to my other obnoxious bestie." Clarke grinned and turned towards Raven who was too busy texting on her phone to look up or even make a snarky comeback.

The blonde rolled her eyes.

"Sure Clarke, I'd love to meet your friend." Lexa smiled sweetly at the blonde. "Let me just ta-" 

"Actually! I'm pretty thirsty...a milkshake sounds amazing...Lexa, maybe you could lower me carefully? I think I can make it to the diner." Costia cut in, determined to keep herself between the happy couple.

"Are you su-" 

Costia nodded desperately.

"Oh...Kay.." Lexa lowered Costia down but kept a hold of her as she tested her ankle by taking a few careful steps. The taller brunette didn't want to make it obvious that she was in no pain, so she faked a few limps and hobbled about a bit while putting on her best 'brave little soldier' face. "I think I'm okay but you should probably stay close by incase I fall or something." She smiled at Lexa and linked her arm through hers, for 'support' obviously.

Lexa went to speak but the words never came because Costia was already leading them away. 

"Oh my God! Can you believe how thick she's laying it on?!" Clarke whisper shouted to Raven as she watched her girlfriend being dragged away. Raven looked up from her phone with a blank expression. "Huh? Oh yeah I know. Girls got it bad for sexy Lexy. Want me to hold her down while you break open that rusty old can of whoop ass?" Raven asked before casually glancing back down at her phone.

Clarke scoffed as they started walking slowly towards the diner. "Please. She might be a hot, toned giant but I will climb a bitch if she lays lips on Lex!" The blonde grinned to herself then turned to see Raven not paying attention again and sighed loudly. 

"Huh?" Raven looked up. "Oh yeah. I'll probably order my usual." The Latina was clearly lost in her own little world.

Clarke raised a brow. "Who the fuck are you texting? You've been on that thing all morning." The blonde moved closer and tried to see the screen. 

Raven quickly shut her phone down and pocketed it. " None of your business nosey Rosey! Let's get a move on shall we?? I can already hear Costia's tongue in Lexa's ear." The Latina started to charge forward at a brisk pace.

"Eurgh. Rae! Don't scar the inside of my mind with vile imagery!" Clarke whined as she tried to keep up.

* * *

_**The Dropship Diner** _

* * *

The sounds of old 80's rock music was playing as they entered the diner and the scent of cooked meats and fried potatoes, filled their noses. Costia, with the help of Raven, started to make their way over to the booth where Octavia was sitting while Lexa had lingered in the doorway, trying to work out how to peek at Clarke's wall without anyone noticing.

Clarke laughed at Lexa's attempts of trying to act casual and gave her shirt a playful yank. "Oh no you don't! That wall is staying covered until it's completely finished and I'm 100% satisfied." The blonde warned with a raised brow and smile on her face.

Lexa's face dropped with a pout. "But..." She tried to argue without really knowing what to say. " What if it's mysteriously vanished or something?? I feel like I should check, just to make sure...I mean, I feel it's my duty as your girlfriend to just -" the brunette started to walk over to the wall with grabby hands but only got so far before she was pulled back, by the back of her shorts. 

"Nice try baby." Clarke grinned and gently shoved the brunette in the direction of her friends as she heard muttered words of 'mean' and 'unfair' coming from her sulking girlfriend.

As they reached the table, Octavia smiled up at them as Raven sat next to her, still messing around on her phone. Costia was sat across from them but stood up as the couple came over, so they could shuffle into the booth and she could still sit on the end, on the other side of Lexa.

"Hey babe." Clarke half pounced at Octavia, pulling her into a tight hug. Octavia smiled and took a good look at Lexa, over Clarke's shoulder. Lexa felt instantly uncomfortable and her eyes started to dart anywhere else.

"Hey yourself." Octavia squeezed Clarke before pulling back out of the hug. "I thought it was just going to be us three musketeers but we seem to have two tagalongs." Octavia smirked, eyes still on a fidgety Lexa.

"O, this is my gorgeous girlfriend Lexa, who you've heard me talking obsessively about." Clarke gently cupped Lexa's jaw and ran her thumb up and down. " Lex, this is Octavia. The Bert to Raven's Ernie." Clarke chuckled.

"Hey! If anyone's Ernie, it's me." Octavia frowned.

Raven scoffed, not taking her eyes off her phone. " Please. Ernie is the lovable mischief maker." She started pointing at herself. "Bert is a bossy bitch." She then started pointing at Octavia.

Octavia rolled her eyes and dropped the subject. "Whatever." She turned to Lexa. "Nice to meet you." O smiled then glanced at Costia. "little mouse." She grinned slightly, letting Linc's little sister know that she knew damn well that Lexa was her secret caravan crush. Fuck! Clarke must've told her. Costia blushed a little and suddenly started focused hard on the table in front of her.

"It's nice to meet you too. Clarke talks about you alot." Lexa's voice came out softly. She was nervous. Why was she nervous?! She felt super awkward around the new girl and she couldn't work out why. Clarke placed a reassuring warm hand on her knee which helped a little and she placed her own hand on top for extra comfort with a smile.

"Oh yeah?" Octavia stretched with a yawn. " Believe every word." She threw a cheeky wink Lexa's way and received a chuckle and a swat of the hand from Clarke.

Costia started to get bored of being left out and decided to mix it up a little. "Hey, Niylah. Free to take our orders?" She smiled sweetly at the waitress who was just in the middle of clearing a table. 

"Sure, just a second." The tall blonde smiled before disappearing into the kitchen with a bunch of dirty plates.

"Niylah's hot right?" Costia asked the table with a head tilt. "I mean I haven't really seen her that often without her work clothes on but she's definitely pretty right?" 

There were a few mumbles of agreement from around the table but it was clear, that only Costia wanted to have that conversation. 

Octavia went to discuss the safe topic of her own hunky boyfriend but Costia piped up again. " She's usually at Miller's parties...you're pretty close with her, right Clarke? You've probably seen her out of her work clothes." She innocently questioned. The glint in Costia's eye was only noticeable to Clarke who definitely understood what the tall brunette was implying by that. 

Lexa remained quiet and now also found the table fascinating. Clarke was glaring at Costia and was about to bite as Niylah walked back through and over to their table.

"Hi girls, what can I get you?" Niylah smiled brightly. 

" Niylah, you look really pretty with your hair up like that." Costia smiled warmly at the tall blonde. " Clarke, you agree right? You beautiful blondes can make any hairstyle look amazing. I'm super jealous." Costia playfully pouted.

"Yeah, um. You look good Niy." Clarke nodded with a polite smile, squeezing Lexa's knee gently under the table.

"Thank you ladies." The waitress beamed at the group. " Gotta look my best when I have tables of gorgeous women to Impress! Bigger tips." Niylah winked.

"Bigger tits?" Raven looked up quickly, hoping her ears had picked up on a fascinating topic. 

Everyone around the table laughed and Octavia pushed Raven while shaking her head. " You are _so_ not Ernie." 

"Can I get a strawberry milkshake please? Lex, you want chocolate?" The blonde asked a little too eager to change the subject.

"Um, yeah." Lexa nodded. "chocolate, whipped cream and extra chocolate sprinkles on top."

Clarke melted at her girlfriend's love of added extras to all special sweet treats. "Actually that sounds really good. Could we get one jumbo chocolate milkshake with all the extras and two straws please." Clarke ordered with a dopey grin while keeping her hearteyes on Lexa who in turn, brought Clarke's hand up to her lips to kiss, flashing her own loved up expression.

Octavia pretended to throw up at the display of affection and Costia...well Costia was silently fuming! 

After both girls had ordered strawberry milkshakes, Niylah turned to take Raven's order. "Raven, your usual?"

"Actually." The Latina stood up and started to pat her pockets to make sure she had everything. "I gotta take off. Things to see and people to do and all that!" She quickly shuffled past Niylah and headed for the door, leaving her friends behind with stunned expressions on their faces.

After a few seconds of baffled silence, Octavia scoffed. "Well bye to you too then bitch!" Niylah checked over the order and went to get their drinks. Leaving the four girls to talk and hang out. Clarke's arm soon made its way around Lexa and the brunette happily leaned into her as she still felt Octavia's judgemental eyes on her....she didn't know what it was about the girl, she just felt uneasy...it was different with Raven, sure the girl was equally loud and upfront but she had a softness to her...she was silly and there was a warmth behind her eyes. Even Anya had grown to like the girl but Octavia... Octavia was just sharp lines with daunting eyes. 

Once the milkshakes were delivered and Niylah had gone back to work. Octavia had started throwing a number of questions at Lexa. To most people it would just seem like a friendly, getting to know you session but to Lexa, it just felt like she was getting interrogated. Clarke had tried her best to lighten the mood and keep things flowing easily and even Costia tried to change a few topics to get some of the heat off of Lexa, it was only when Octavia had bluntly asked if Lexa was still a virgin that Clarke jumped in. "Octavia!" Clarke's jaw dropped in shock. "That's none of your fucking business!" The blonde shuffled closer into Lexa with a huff and place a soft kiss on her over heating ear. 

Octavia laughed and put her hands up in surrender. " Just askin! Chill Griff." The brunette grinned to herself as she took a sip of her milkshake.

Lexa was _not_ a fan of Octavia Blake.

Luckily, after a while Octavia had moved over to talk with Costia, leaving the loved up couple in peace. Clarke's arm was still around Lexa, holding her closely as they shared sweet words and soft kisses. " I'm sorry baby. I should've warned you that O can be a lot to take." The blonde was still frustrated with her friend and kept kicking herself for putting Lexa in that type of situation. 

Lexa gently nudged Clarke's nose with her own to bring her out of her thoughts. " It's okay Clarke. She's...an interesting person." It was the only polite word Lexa could come up with in that moment. " I don't think we'll be going on camping trips or having one on one bonding experiences together but..." Lexa shrugged. "I'll be okay aslong as I have you by my side." 

Clarke melted, pulling Lexa closer with a hand on the back of her neck and kissed her slowly. " Always gorgeous." The blonde smiled lovingly at her girlfriend and then turned towards the other girls as she heard giggling.

Octavia and Costia were messing around, making up dance routines to the upbeat song that was playing in the background.

Costia was practically doing an Irish jig while bouncing around.

" I guess your ankles feeling alot better, Huh?" The blonde raised a brow with a cocky smirk.

Costia's smile fell immediately as she stopped dancing around, her skin flushing instantly and she glanced at Lexa who seemed pleased that she was no longer in pain. " Guess I got lucky." She mumbled quietly with a smile and took a seat on a stool at the counter. 

Octavia wandered off to the bathroom as Clarke and Lexa continued with their gross displays of affection, whispers and annoying giggles. Costia had, had enough...

She turned around on her stool and caught Niylah's attention. " I think you and I should talk." Costia smirked as a nasty glint appeared in her eye.

Niylah looked at the girl, puzzled but gave a slight nod in intrigue.

* * *

Lexa had to leave a little while later, promising Gustus she'd help him at the grocery store. After many kisses from Clarke of course, a ridiculously long hug from Costia that Clarke almost broke up and a wave from Octavia along with a cocky smile and a sarcastic comment of "maybe let someone else get a word in next time, little mouse." 

Lexa _really_ wasn't a fan of Octavia Blake.

Clarke was sure to give her friend a telling off the second Lexa left and promised to bitch slap her if she acted that way in front of her girlfriend ever again. Lexa would definitely need time to get used to Octavia... Most people did.

It wasn't long before Costia and Octavia decided to head home. Clarke had decided to hang back a while to look over her wall design and to figure out what she was going to need to finish it off the following day. 

She was half way through writing down the paints and equipment she'd need when Niylah appeared next to her and made her startle with a squeak.

Niylah laughed and placed a hand on Clarke's back. "Sorry Clarke, didn't mean to scare you."

"That's okay, I was just lost in my own world. You know how I get when arts involved." Clarke smiled. " What can I do for you?" She placed her pen and paper on the table so she could fully pay attention.

Niylah licked over her dry lips and thought for a second on how to word what she wanted to say. "You and Lexa are a couple right?" She waited for Clarke to nod before continuing. "I figured. You both look really cute together." Niylah smiled honestly. 

"Thank you." Clarke replied then paused for a moment. "Was..um. was that all?"

"Huh? Oh no." Niylah laughed again, shaking her head. "I just thought you should be aware that Costia has her sights on your girlfriend. She kinda tried to encourage me to flirt with you and wanted me to help her split you both up... I was actually surprised she'd do that. She's always seemed so friendly and kind." Niylah shrugged. "Anyway, I'm not an asshole and I'd never do that. In fact I told her to stop being immature and to jog the fuck on." The taller blonde grinned at Clarke and laughed the second Clarke started laughing.

" Oh God, what a total cow!" Clarke choked out through tears of laughter. "I knew she was after my girlfriend but to try and break us up by bringing you in to it...what a nasty scheming bitch." Clarke sighed, completely done with Costia's ridiculous behaviour. She was going to have to tell Lexa...there was _no_ _way she_ was risking her relationship.

Lexa was going to be crushed. Fucking Costia was supposed to be her friend! Clarke knew how difficult it was for her girlfriend to open up and let people in...How dare Costia mess with Lexa's heart.

(The most precious and delicate thing in the entire universe.)

"I doubt you have anything to worry about." Niylah reassured. "I saw the way Lexa looks at you...There's so much love there. It's like she can't quite believe you're real." She chuckled. "It's kinda sweet actually. You're both lucky to have that." Niylah smiled warmly and started to head back to the counter.

"Thank you Niylah." Clarke stood and moved both hands into her back pockets. "For saying that and for telling Costia to fuck off." She chuckled quietly and smiled at her friend. 

"I just want you to be happy Clarke." Niylah spoke without looking up and continued to put the empty glasses away. 

" I want the same for you too. Maybe in the form of a hot redhead? Or a Goth?? We really need to add more variety to our social group." Clarke chuckled again and headed for the door. 

"I'll see what I can do." Niylah joked with a grin. "Maybe the diner could hold a bikers night? ...That could be interesting. Oh! Or maybe a burlesque evening!" 

Clarke laughed as she went through the door. "Do me a favour and let me be there when you suggest that to management!" 

* * *

_**Polis Beachside Caravan Park** _

* * *

It was nearing 7pm by the time Lexa and Gustus got back from the grocery store. Their hands were filled with heavy bags as they climbed their way up the veranda steps and once they finally managed to open the door, they found Anya lounging inside with her feet up on the couch and wearing her favourite beach themed pyjamas.

Gustus greeted her warmly while Lexa stood in front of the girl until she bothered to look up from her phone. "No thanks Ahn! You stay put, I've got the bags. You are so sweet to offer though." Lexa faked an overly large smile and walked over to place her bags in the kitchen with the rest. 

"Now now Lexa, there's no need to put on your snarky pants." Anya tsked. " If you turn into a moaning old woman before you're twenty, I'll have to take Clarke off your hands and remind her what it's like to be with a wild and carefree woman." The older cousin winked and took a bite out of an apple that was just placed in the fruit bowl on the table in front of her.

Lexa scoffed. " Clarke would never go near you." 

"We'll see, dear cousin." Anya wiggled her eyebrows about. 

Lexa rolled her eyes. "Where the hell have you been all day? The lack of annoying behaviour, buzzing around the place has been oddly unsettling." The brunette quipped as she refilled the cupboard with unhealthy snacks.

"Hilarious." Anya deadpanned. " I've just been out and about. Mind your business." The older Woods cousin answered shiftily and moved the conversation on. "How was your day with the lovely Costia? Did she also find you tiresome and make up excuses to ditch you?"

Lexa flipped Anya off once she had checked Gustus wasn't looking. "It was nice actually. Though she _did_ kinda hurt herself on some rocks but then Clarke took a look at her ankle and said there was nothing to worry about." Lexa hadn't even realised she was smiling like a doofus until Anya threw her apple core at her.

"So beach house blondie showed up, Huh?" 

"Yeah. We all went to the Dropship because she wanted me to meet her friend Octavia." The sparkle left Lexa's eyes but only for a moment, Anya still noticed of course.

"Oh yeah? Was she a dick to you?"

Lexa's head tilted side to side as she screwed up her face in a 'kinda...maybe... definitely.' way. " She's super loud and blunt but not in the funny way like Raven. She also kept staring at me with like a smug grin on her face and asked me so many personal questions...made me really uncomfortable." The brunette sighed and crossed her arms over the counter.

"Total dick then. Shame I wasn't there. I'd have kept her in a permanent state of fear with my never failing death glare." Anya smirked while picking apple skin out of her teeth.

"Aww you love me." Lexa perked as Anya's loving, protective side came out.

Anya scoffed. "Not even slightly, squirt."

Lexa shrugged, knowing it was all fibs and headed towards her bedroom. "Good job we never invite you anywhere then." 

"Too afraid Clarke will fall for the hotter cousin once she sees me in my new bikini?" Anya shouted loudly so Lexa could hear from her bedroom.

Suddenly a pair of Lexa's sweaty socks came flying through the kitchen and into the living room, hitting Anya in the chest. 

"Eurgh! Vile human!" She tossed them aside and shook her head as she picked up her phone and mumbled. "Jerk weasel." A smile creeping up on her lips.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Jerk weasel indeed!   
> Fun fact: I honestly do call people a jerk weasel when they've annoyed me 😒 I'm not sure why o.O just makes me smile!
> 
> I also just stretched like a cat, forgetting I'm not a teenager anymore and now my back hurts and I feel queasy! 
> 
> I hope you're all enjoying the beginning of December! (Safely!) 
> 
> I feel like I had more to say but you're lucky because I don't remember!
> 
> Sweet dreams for later!
> 
> Tumblr - hernightsky   
> 💖


	15. 143

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gustus confesses to his kids. The Griffin's have a visitor. The gang go for a swim. Things get a little heated. Clarke's wall is revealed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really thought I'd have two chapters up before Christmas but I clearly had too much faith in my knuckling down capabilities. o.O   
> So...here's a super long chapter instead!

* * *

_**Polis Beachside Caravan Park** _

* * *

"So..." Lexa paused as her mind tried to take in the information that Gustus had just shared with her and Anya. "You and Indra... caravan park owner and Costia's mother, are... together? are you dating? Do you mean you're really good friends who hug a lot, because that could ju-"

"Lexa. Cut it out." Anya huffed at her cousin, wanting her to stop rambling. The glare she gave Lexa, disappeared and her face turned softer as she looked back to her dad. "So... Indra. Are you 100% sure you're not mistaking her friendship and politeness for more??" Anya _too_ was finding the whole idea of her father with Costia's mother, a little hard to believe. 

Gustus sighed at his cheeky kids. What were they implying here??

"Girls, please." Gus put a hand up to silence their confused chattering.

He had finally started to calm down now that the words were out. The thought of sitting his girls down this morning and explaining his new romance to them, had left him unable to sleep the night before. He was sweating and running to the bathroom every few minutes. Anya was sure he had given them all food poisoning and was preparing to lock herself in the big bathroom for the whole day, leaving the tiny room with the extra toilet in, for Gustus and Lexa to share.

"I understand that this is a lot to get your heads around but I assure you, I know the difference between friendship and something more." 

"Eurgh what does that mean?! No actually, keep the details to yourself." Anya grimaced and collapsed further back into the couch.

Lexa rolled her eyes at her cousin who was sat next to her and then turned back to Gus. "So, is it serious?" She asked gently.

Gustus scratched the back of his neck in thought. "We care for eachother." He nodded slowly. "She's a wonderful lady and has the kindest heart. She's very funny too." He smiled then chuckled gruffly as he remembered one of her humorous stories.

Anya raised a brow at that and turned to Lexa who also looked like she was struggling to believe it. "Indra's funny?? I don't mean to be rude but she's the only person I've ever met who can give my own death glare a run for it's money!"

Gustus laughed cheerily. "You just have to get to know the woman properly. She guards herself well but once you get past the shields, she's so loving and witty. She really brightens my day." Gustus' cheeks dusted pink.

Lexa smiled. Uncle Gus was really sweet when he was embarrassed. "Well I think it's great!" She stood up and threw her arms around the blushing softie. " You deserve happiness...it's been so long since..." Lexa stuttered and flashed an awkward glance in Anya's direction. 

"Since mom." Anya finished the sentence for her.

Gustus' smile fell away and his eyes filled with sadness. "Sweetheart, I -"

"Please don't." Anya cut in and shook her head. "It's fine dad, really." She smiled warmly at her father. "Mom would want you to find love again and I want you to be happy." She reassured and stood up to wrap her own arms around him. Soon, Lexa was caught up in a big family hug and she secretly loved every second.

"You girls are my world. Thank you for being okay with this." Gustus squeezed them both as a tear slipped from his eye, onto Anya's shoulder.

"Honestly, I'm just glad you haven't given us food poisoning." Anya mumbled into his shirt and laughter broke out through the caravan.

Once the family hug had ended, Gustus wiped his eyes and headed into the kitchen to make breakfast. Anya ruffled Lexa's hair and smirked before disappearing into her bedroom. It was so hot and stuffy in the caravan, Lexa decided to let some fresh air in and opened the door up, attaching it to the side of the caravan.

The brunette took a moment on the veranda to breathe in some fresh morning air and noticed a shifty looking teenager, walking slowly down the road. She seemed familiar...her dark hair was tied up and half hidden under a black scarf, her clothes were very worn and dirty and her eyes looked tired and angry. The braids in her hair, half covered a tattoo that was on her face....that's when it came back to Lexa. This girl was friends with Clarke's cousin.

Lexa scowled at the girl even though she hadn't noticed the brunette standing there on her veranda. How could she treat her girlfriend like garbage?? Clarke was incredible. Lexa huffed.

A sweet old lady crossed the road a little ahead of Ontari's friend and something fell out of her pocket as she quickly moved out of the way from a car that was backing out of it's parking spot. 

It was money...

Lexa shook her head and mumbled "No." To herself as she quickly made her way off the veranda steps. There was _no way_ she was going to allow Ontari's nasty friend to steal from the old woman. Not on her watch! 

She walked at a brisk pace in determination.

"Excuse me!" Ontari's friend spoke loud enough to catch the old ladies attention.

Lexa slowed down and watched the scene Infront of her.

Ontari's friend bent down and picked up the money and then jogged over to the woman, placing it in her hand with a polite smile.

Lexa stood there in surprise. Her head tilted in thought....maybe there was more to this her than just awful taste in friends.

* * *

_**The Griffin's** _

* * *

The Griffin house was oddly quiet this morning. It was a rare day that Abby had off from work and her and Jake had decided to sleep in, or at least _that_ was what Clarke was hoping they were doing up there... They both could use the extra few hours of sleep after the Griffin house received an unexpected visitor at 1am last night. Clarke had only known of the guest, because her bed had been invaded by a sleepy Raven who spent the night, stealing all the covers and who elbowed her in the jaw at exactly 4:02am while mumbling 'I caught the ghost. It's only fair you cook it.' while in the middle of a very bizarre dream. 

So yes, the house was quiet this morning as Clarke sat at the dining room table, the only sound that could be heard, was the sound of slurping...really loud and grating to the ear, slurping. Each long slurp, set Clarke on edge. Her hands tightened around her coffee mug as she stared daggers into the slurping culprit.

There she was. 

The Joker to Clarke's Batman.

The devil herself, all pyjamed up and sitting at the opposite end of the table.

After the next sipping, slurp that seemed to go on forever, Clarke had, had enough.

"Ontari! What the fuck?!" Clarke slammed her coffee mug down in frustration. "Who in the hell spoons their cereal milk?! Just drink it down like a normal person!" She snapped at her cousin who smirked, finally happy that she got a rise out of Clarke.

Ontari shrugged innocently. "I'm taking my time. Not everyone is as greedy as you dear cousin." The smaller brunette threw Clarke a nasty smile. "I hope you enjoyed your _third_ slice of toast by the way."

Clarke knew she was taking a dig at her weight and the fact that she had a healthy appetite but what she _didn't_ realise, is that Clarke gave exactly no fucks about such things. 

"Oh I did thanks." Clarke nodded happily. "Though I regret not covering the last slice in chocolate spread...I think that might've been the biggest mistake that's ever been made." The blonde sighed dramatically. "Well... The second biggest mistake." Clarke winked at Ontari with a tight smile.

Clarke was a beautiful, curvy young woman with a smokin' hot body. Everyone in the world could see that. The fact that she enjoyed eating junk food and wasn't the type to order salads, was a major bonus in most people's books!

Clarke knew she looked good and that was another thing that wound up her jealous cousin. 

"Griff, have you seen my -" Raven wandered into the dining room, taking in the look of hatred on Clarke's face and figured she had walked in on another classic argument between the cousins. The Latina was used to it by now and had always tried to lighten the mood for Clarke's sake. "Hello lover." Raven put on her best deep and sexy voice and slipped into the seat next to Ontari, putting her arm around the back of the girls chair and leaning uncomfortably close.

"Did you miss me last night?" She ran her knuckles lightly over Ontari's cheek and then grinned happily as Ontari freaked out and pushed herself and her chair away from Raven's advances.

"Get the fuck off me you weirdo!" Ontari shrieked and started to scrub Raven's germs off her face with her sleeve.

Clarke barked out a laugh and started to grin like the Cheshire cat as Raven shuffled her chair over to Ontari's. God, this is why she kept Reyes around! She was the perfect person to keep Ontari out of her way because she knew how to make the girl feel uncomfortable and quiet. Why couldn't she have moved in sooner!

"Don't be like that baby." Raven pouted and squeezed Ontari's shoulder. " I only slept with Clarke last night because Abby asked me to...tonight I'm all yours!" She threw her bare leg up onto Ontari's lap and gasped dramatically.

"Eurgh!!" Ontari bolted up off her seat, shoving Raven's leg off her in the process. "Keep your disgusting legs and hands and everything else off me you ugly bitch!" She cringed and started to wipe invisible traces of Raven off her clothes. "I'm not staying another night anyway!" 

"Thank fuck for that." Clarke mumbled loud enough for everyone to hear.

" My feelings exactly dear cousin." Ontari huffed. "I only got stuck here last night because my mom had to fix all of the fuck ups her assistant made before her big meeting today! I'll be gone before night fall thankfully." Ontari glared at Raven again in warning.

"Good! I really don't need your negativity and nasty vibes haunting the house tonight, I'm already stressed about tomorrow." Clarke sighed, propping her elbows up on the table and covered her face with her hands. 

"Your wall unveiling? Clarke, it's going to be awesome. We've been over this, the manager dudes are gonna love it and so will everyone else." Raven reassured with a smile.

"Yeah, it's only colouring in...how badly can you screw that up?" Ontari snorted and threw a nasty smirk Clarke's way before walking into the kitchen.

Clarke shut her eyes and took a deep breath to calm her nerves and also to stop herself beating the living crap out of her cousin.

Raven moved over to sit next to the blonde. "Ignore her, she's jealous and you know it. Your art is incredible Clarke, whatever design you chose for the diner will fit in perfectly and the managers will be over the moon with it and will probably beg you to redo everyone else's walls!" 

Clarke chuckled and laid her head down on to Raven's shoulder. "Thanks Rae. I knew there was a reason I kept you around." She smiled up at her and received a wink from Raven. 

"I'm awesome! There's many reasons you'd keep me around." Raven scoffed and turned towards the kitchens archway. "Hey, Ontari!"

There was a pause and then a mumble of something before Ontari stuck her head through into the dining room. "What?!" She snapped in annoyance.

"I think I'm in love with you. Wanna get up on this table for me, hot stuff??" The Latina licked over her lips seductively and blew Ontari a kiss.

Clarke broke out into laughter again and Ontari huffed, throwing a wet towel at Raven before storming back into the kitchen.

When would these people learn?? It _really_ wasn't wise to mess with nasty humans with no conscience... _especially_ when you have an important event coming up.

* * *

_**Clarke's Bedroom** _

* * *

It was just after 1pm and Octavia had arrived at the Griffin house a little while ago. Ontari was wandering about the house with her two minions in tow so Clarke had taken her friends upstairs, into her bedroom for privacy. Both groups were happy with that decision.

" Do you think I look more fuckable in the red bikini or black?" Octavia tilted her head as she held the black bikini up against herself while looking into the mirror that hung on the door in Clarke's wardrobe. 

Clarke rolled her eyes and smiled as she rummaged through her chest of drawers. The blonde had bought a gorgeous bikini last month, but that was a long time ago and where it was now, was anyone's guess!

"The red! Definitely the red!" Raven perked as she happily gave her opinion on such an important topic. "You look hot in all colours but the red really works well with your hair colour and I'd totally do you." The Latina raised both thumbs in approval as Octavia placed the red bikini against her body to show Raven.

"Thanks babe. Ya never know, maybe I'll take you up on that offer if Linc blows us off to play soccer." 

Clarke had been driving everyone crazy with her spontaneous attacks of panic. Her design was finished. It looked wonderful...but what if she was the only one who thought that?? What if everyone else hated it or laughed...God, these waves of panic were exactly what her family were on about and that is why they had suggested, gathering up her friend group and spending the day at the beach to take her mind off tomorrow. 

The artists were having a small unveiling tomorrow morning for their friends and family. The managers were going to put on a buffet with soft drinks and music as a thank you for all of their hard work over the last couple of weeks and their artwork would be open to the public that evening. Everyone was excited and so proud of Clarke. _Even_ Clarke was proud of Clarke! ...when she wasn't terrified.

" Pretty sure Linc will be there. He'd follow you anywhere so our hot, steamy hook up will forever remain a beautiful fantasy in here." Raven pointed at her head and sighed before perking up again. "Hey Griff! What would piss you off more. Me hooking up with Costia or Ontari?" The Latina laughed and collapsed backwards onto the bed.

"Eurgh Rae! Neither are acceptable options!" Clarke cringed and dramatically shivered in disgust. "Actually..." She thought after a moment. "feel free to take Costia, maybe then she'd keep her paws away from Lexa." The blonde grumbled and threw a balled up pair of socks at Raven for her own amusement.

Octavia grinned as she joined Raven on the bed. "Oh yeah, how is the little mouse? Will she be joining us at the beach?"

Clarke shot Octavia a stern look in warning. " She will and she'll be here any minute so play nice."

Octavia put her hands up innocently and pulled her best angelic expression.

" I mean it O. You were a total dick last time you saw her. It was obvious how uncomfortable she was and yet you kept questioning her." Clarke huffed in annoyance. "Do that again and I won't speak to you for the next month."

Octavia knew when Clarke was playing around and this wasn't one of them times. "Okay, I get it Griff." The brunette backed down easily. "I'll be on my best behaviour. I swear." Her eyes showed honesty and that was good enough for Clarke. 

" That's a shame." Raven chipped in, making both girls turn and frown at her.

"What? No. I don't want Lexa to feel uncomfortable or anything! I just mean, if O's a bitch, we get to watch Anya pummel her into the sand." Raven grinned.

Clarke laughed at the thought. There's no way Octavia could get out of hand with Anya staring her down....it was one of the reason's the blonde had invited her along. She wanted her girlfriend to feel comfortable and safe and Anya would definitely help with that, plus Clarke really did enjoy Anya's grumpy company.

"Anya's the cousin, right?" Octavia asked the room. "Is she really that scary?" Her brow raised in disbelief as both Clarke and Raven nodded frantically.

"Trust me. She'd tear you to shreds if you even looked at Lexa funny." Clarke promised. "I mean, I would too...but I'm pretty sure Anya could shred you a lot smaller than I could."

 _"Definitely_ big dick energy!" Raven added.

"Totally." Clarke agreed.

Octavia grinned. "Linc _definitely_ has a big dic...tionary. So yeah, I'm not too worry about our English exams." Octavia covered easily and cleared her throat as Abby Griffin walked into the bedroom with Lexa following behind.

Raven and Clarke were giggling like school kids, making Abby raise a brow in confusion. " I'm sure I don't want to know what's going on so I'm going to leave you girls to it." Abby shook her head in amusement and squeezed Lexa's shoulder as she was leaving. "Good luck sweetie. You'll need it with these!" 

Lexa smiled. "Thank you for showing me to Clarke's room Mrs Griffin." She'd been up to Clarke's room before but it's always nice to be polite. Especially to Clarke's mother who she had only met a couple of times.

Octavia didn't agree of course. She shook her head with a smirk and tried to stop herself laughing at the overly polite little mouse. 

"Hey Lexa. You look really hot." Raven winked and smiled from her laying down position on the bed. Lexa smiled shyly and mumbled a "Thank you."

Lexa wasn't one for bikinis. They made her feel all kinds of awkward but Clarke was stressing out and needed relaxation and she knew the girls enjoyed going for a dip in the sea, so Lexa, being the sweetest girlfriend in the world, had decided to prepare for that and had worn a pair of beach themed swim shorts, a simple black bikini top and a loose white, unbuttoned shirt over the top with her hair tied up in a messy bun. She looked gorgeous and Clarke was having a hard time remembering how to breathe.

A blush crept up on Lexa's face as she noticed her girlfriend perving at her with her mouth dropped open in shock. "Hello Clarke." She smiled warmly at her girlfriend and walked closer to her.

"Er..um. H.." Clarke cleared her throat and tried again. "H..Hi Lex, fuck. You look...wow.." she finally managed to stutter out.

Lexa chuckled. "Thank you, you look beautiful as always." The brunette lightly kissed Clarke on the cheek.

The blonde laughed and shook her head with the slightest blush on her cheeks. "Lex, I'm not even dressed for the beach yet." She raised her brow, challenging her girlfriends word as she stood there in her pyjama shorts, fluffy socks and a large hoody that once belonged to Wells.

Lexa shrugged. " You're always beautiful to me."

Clarke melted on the spot.

Octavia who was watching the whole thing, tilted her head towards Raven who was now used to the sappy scenes the couple usually played out. "What exactly am I watching here?"

"Huh? Oh yeah. It's disgusting isn't it?" Raven nodded as Octavia's face crinkled in horror. "You remember those two gay penguins we saw at the zoo last year?? I like to imagine them, when I see those two getting heart eyes... Helps me to cope in their presence."

Octavia grinned and pulled back.

"Hey li...Lexa." Octavia quickly corrected herself. She was only going to make Clarke angry, if she kept up with the 'little mouse' remarks.

Lexa turned to Octavia and smiled politely. "Hi. Nice to see you Octavia." A small fib hurt no one right?

"No Anya?" Clarke asked as she finally found the bikini she was looking for and quickly hid it under a sweater in her drawer. The blonde wanted Lexa to see it for the first time, when it was on her.

Raven casually looked up at Lexa, wanting to hear her response without looking too desperate.

"Anya's still getting ready, she said she'll meet us on the beach. Gustus made us run late this morning." 

Raven smiled slightly, happy that she had chosen the nicest bikini to wear under her jacket.

"Oh yeah? Did he make you wash seagull crap off your car again?" Clarke grinned and placed a kiss on Lexa's hand then continued to hold it.

"No, he kinda told us that he was dating Indra..." Lexa still couldn't believe the words that were leaving her mouth.

"Whaaat?!" Raven sat up and barked out a laugh in disbelief. "Woah...Indra...whoda thunk it?? Good for her though and good for you too Griff! That's gotta put a spanner in Costia's scheming!" The Latina smiled and was so caught up in the moment, that it took her a few extra seconds to notice that Clarke was giving her the evils.

Oh crap.

Lexa looked confused and kept glancing back and forth between the two girls, waiting for an explanation.

"Raven, you asshole." Clarke muttered under her breath and gently tugged Lexa out of the room and into the hallway for privacy.

"Clarke.." Lexa tilted her head, still lost to what was going on but now her eyes had lost their usual sparkle and Clarke's heart was already starting to break.

"Baby, Costia's not exactly been playing nicely lately." Clarke gave Lexa's hands a gentle squeeze as she kept a hold of both of them for comfort. "Remember when I bumped into you both at the caravan park and then we told her that you and I were a couple and then you ran off to claim the free shower before Gustus could get in there?" 

Lexa's brows furrowed and she gave a single nod.

"Well the moment you left, Costia bluntly informed me that she had every intention of stealing you away from me...it was kinda ballsy of her actually." Clarke scoffed at the memory. "I'm pretty sure she faked her ankle sprain too...i mean, I would, if I got to be carried by you." The blonde joked to lighten the mood but Lexa was not seeing any humour in any of this.

Clarke cleared her throat. " She knows that I used to have a thing with Niylah...nothing serious or anything. Just drunken make out sessions at parties. But that's why she was trying to wind you up at the diner by dragging me into conversations with her..."

Lexa suddenly flashed back to something that Costia had said at the beach. Something about the soccer teams party...

_"Clarke was there I think...Well I mean, she was there to begin with...I remember that was around about the time she'd started leaving parties early with Niylah."_

Looking back, there was no reason to be bringing that up to Lexa... Clarke was _her_ girlfriend, why would she want to hear about her relationships with other people? Lexa had thrown the comment away, thinking it was a harmless statement by a friend who wasn't thinking but maybe...Costia knew exactly what she was saying. 

Lexa took a deep breath and was brought out of her thoughts by Clarke's warm hand, cupping her jaw as the blonde looked directly into her eyes. "Baby, Niylah told me that Costia had tried to encourage her to flirt with me and even asked her to help break us both up..." Clarke's eyes filled with sadness for Lexa. " I'm so sorry Lex, I know how much her friendship means to you and I had planned on telling you about all of this but...I guess I just wanted to see you happy for as long as I could and I didn't plan on Raven's big mouth." The blonde rolled her eyes at the girl in the other room and then looked back at her girlfriend. " Please say something?" Clarke pulled Lexa closer to her body and placed little kisses against her jaw.

Lexa stood there, deep in thought, the sadness that had started in her eyes, had now taken over her entire being. She allowed herself to be held by Clarke and took comfort in her familiar scent as she controlled the tears that threatened to fall. "I ..um. Thank you for telling me Clarke." Was all that managed to escape her lips. 

Clarke didn't push her to talk. Lexa did things in her own time and knew the brunette would open up when she was ready.

"Do you want to go back inside?" Clarke gestured towards her bedroom.

Lexa cleared her throat. "Actually, do you mind if I go get a glass of water?" The brunette had already turned towards the stairs before Clarke had the chance to answer. 

"Sure Lex, I'll be down soon." Clarke smiled sadly as she watched her girlfriend disappear down the stairs.

That was _so_ not the way Lexa was supposed to find out! Clarke sighed and opened the door to her bedroom roughly, muttering "Raven fucking Reyes." Under her breath.

* * *

Costia... Lexa's heart clenched in her chest. This....this is what she was afraid of and why it was so difficult to let new people in. The lies and game playing... Why was it so hard to just be honest and nice? Lexa made mistakes and messed up as much as anyone else but she always meant well... she'd never try to ruin her friends happiness. Costia had hurt her and been uncharacteristically cruel to her girlfriend. She had tried to steal away the heart that belongs to Clarke Griffin. Like it was possible...

Costia had a lot of explaining to do but Lexa didn't want to deal with that right now. The next couple of days were about Clarke, and Lexa was determined to make them as stress free and enjoyable as possible.

The brunette wandered into the kitchen and stopped abruptly as she startled Ontari's friend who was in the process of taking food out of the fridge and shoving it into her pockets. 

Both girls stared at eachother for a few awkward seconds. Ontari's friend was sizing Lexa up with an untrusting scowl on her face and once she figured the girl was harmless, she scoffed and continued to eat the sandwich that was in her hand.

"Got a problem?" The girl questioned with a smirk as she shoved a food can into her bag that was sitting on the counter.

"You're stealing." Lexa adorably stated even though it was obvious.

The girl laughed a little and took another can. "No shit."

Lexa was stunned at the girls cocky attitude seeing as she'd been caught red handed. She was even more surprised that the girl continued in her thievery!

"You can't just -" Lexa caught a glimpse of a nasty looking bruise on the girls stomach as she reached for a high shelf and cut herself off.

The girl noticed immediately and pulled her shirt back down with a mix of anger and shame in her eyes.

The back door of the kitchen opened and Jake came wandering though. "Hey girls, don't mind me! Just picking up my lunch that Abby made, before I head back to the shop."

Mr Griffin made his way over to the fridge with his usual happy smile. Ontari's friend stepped far back like she wanted to be as far away from the scene of the crime as possible and casually leaned back against the counter as Lexa stayed quiet, awkwardly shoving her hands into her back pockets, waiting to see what happened next.

Jake searched the shelves of the fridge and then pulled back with a confused "hmm." 

"That's strange. I could've sworn Abby said she placed a sandwich in the fridge." Jake turned around and almost instantly caught sight of the lunchbox that Abby always used for his sandwiches. It was open, empty and sitting on the kitchen island.

The girl's face paled and her mouth dropped open, ready to make excuses.

Lexa knew this girl was trouble. She knew it but she also knew that people didn't just steal food for the sake of it...plus she couldn't be all bad, she _did_ return some money to an old woman while it was clear she herself, was in great need of it.

Which is why Lexa found herself saying...

"It was me. I'm so sorry Mr Griffin." Lexa's whole face flushed in embarrassment. "I was hungry and I didn't think..." The brunettes eyes darted everywhere but at Jake, she even took a quick glance at the thief and found her staring, dumbfounded and confused.

Jake, being the sweetest man around, smiled warmly in reassurance and lightly patted Lexa on the shoulder. "Hey, it's all good Lexa! Our food is your food. Plus, while mama Griffin makes a mean sandwich, I have had chicken on it for three lunches in a row and I'm far too sweet and far too scared to tell her I'm a closet turkey man instead." Jake lowered his head, pretending to be ashamed. 

Lexa chuckled and instantly felt better. Clarke _really_ did have amazing parents. "Thank you for being so understanding Mr Griffin. It won't happen again." Lexa assured and glanced at the thief in warning.

"I told you kiddo. Call me Jake and now I get to order pizza without feeling guilty! I'll just blame you if Abby catches me." Jake winked cheekily and waved to both girls before leaving out of the back door again. 

As soon as the door shut, the grumpy girl moved closer to Lexa with her arms crossed in defence. "Why'd you do that?" She tilted her head questioningly.

"Do what?" Clarke's arms wrapped around Lexa from behind and soft lips kissed her cheek.

The girl huffed "Nothing." and stepped back now that Clarke was in the room.

Raven and Octavia could be heard chattering to eachother in the dining room while Ontari's voice could be heard in the distance.

Clarke raised a brow at the girl then turned to Lexa who just shook her head and placed a gentle kiss on the blondes lips. 

"Emori, I think Heckle and Jeckle are looking for you." Clarke quipped while holding Lexa closer.

Emori...That girl was Emori. Lexa made a mental note.

" Then I better bounce hadn't I princess?" Emori smirked at Clarke before taking one last confused look at Lexa while pushing past them both with a wink.

Clarke puffed out a breathy laugh at the strange girls ridiculousness and pulled Lexa into the dining room where Raven was in the middle of arguing with Clarke's cousin and her friend Echo, about the location of Ontari's jacket.

"Yeah well it was on the couch a moment ago and I highly doubt it crawled away by it's self!" Ontari snapped at the Latina.

"Well maybe it's still there then. Look closer." Raven rolled her eyes out of boredom. The conversation had already gone on for too long.

"The couch is empty...I think I'd be able to see if my jacket was there don't you?" Ontari snarked back.

Raven snapped her fingers. "Ah! Now I remember. Didn't you tear it off yourself in a moment of passion, when you made sweet love to me in the bedroom?" She tilted her head and pretended to reminisce.

Echo grimaced while Emori smirked. Ontari looked horrified at the suggestion. "Don't be fucking disgusting!" She turned to her friends quickly. "She's fucking lying!"

"Why must you deny our love?" Raven dramatically asked while a laughing Clarke started to shove her friends and girlfriend out of the dining room. "We're going now, you can relax. Feel free not to be here when we get back." The blonde chipped in with a tight smile towards her cousin.

Ontari didn't respond, she just stood there burning holes through her cousin until she heard the front door close. 

She turned to her friends with a menacing smile. "The Dropship wanted a makeover...tonight, it's gonna get one." Echo smirked and nodded her approval at Ontari's idea while Emori tried to put on a show of enthusiasm too. Never had Ontari smiled so brightly as her mind started to fill with all the nasty possibilities.

* * *

_**Polis Beach** _

* * *

The fact that Clarke lived so far up the beach, once again had its benefits. Even with the sun beaming down on a summer's day, very few people wanted privacy and quiet enough to bother walking for miles and miles in the hot sweaty weather, desperately looking for a spare part of the beach to claim as there's for the day. 

A wonderful fact that meant Clarke and her friends often had huge parts of the beach all to themselves each summer. 

As soon as Lexa's feet hit the warm sand, a smile broke out onto her face. The beach life was something she could really get used to, _even_ with all of the crapping squawkers flying above.

Most of Clarke's friends were already on the beach waiting for them to come down and join them. Jasper was currently dunking Monty under the water while Harper kept picking her moments to push them both over. 

Miller and his boyfriend Jackson were sitting on beer coolers, chatting away and sipping at their drinks. 

Lincoln was happily laying on a beach towel, enjoying the warmth of the sun when Octavia had run up to him, straddling his stomach and started peppering his face with little kisses. It was very noticeable that he appreciated the sexy red bikini that Octavia was wearing.

Well's wasn't able to make it as he had a shift at 'Ice Nation' but had promised to be at the Dropship for the unveiling.

Raven had chosen a white bikini that looked gorgeous against her skin tone and Clarke had only now removed her long, thin cardigan, leaving her in a gorgeous navy blue bikini decorated with tiny white love hearts. Raven had wolf whistled when Clarke had come out of the bathroom wearing it and Lexa was still oblivious to what Clarke had on underneath the cardigan which is why she was happily looking out to the sea with a calm grin on her face, breathing in the ocean air. Paradise.

"Hey Lex, can you hold these for me." 

Lexa turned at hearing her girlfriends voice. Her eyes instantly fell to Clarke's gorgeous breasts that were threatening to pop out of her tight bikini. Holy fuck! Lexa's mouth fell open and her eyes refused to blink...no way was she missing a second of this glorious sight!

Lexa wasn't even trying to act cool which made Clarke laugh. Her girlfriend was staring at her with the biggest dopey grin that the blonde had ever seen. Clarke would normally feel embarrassed but this was Lexa...Lexa could stare as much as she wanted. (Which was lucky because she had planned to!) 

Once Clarke had realised that Lexa had still made no movements to take the drinks out of her hands, the blonde asked again. "Baby, can you hold these?" 

Lexa's eyes shot up to Clarke's instantly, her ears going red as her mouth stuttered on words that wouldn't come out. Clarke couldn't mean...?

The blonde barked out a laugh. "The drinks idiot! Hold the drinks."

Ohhh right. Of course.

Lexa shook her head in apology. "Right. Sorry." She quickly took the drinks out of Clarke's hands and received a kiss from the blonde for being an awkward moron she assumed.

Clarke started to squirt sun screen onto her body and raised a brow cheekily as Lexa watched intently at each rub and stroke her fingers made, especially as the blonde made sure to take extra care of her cleavage. "Something gotcha hot and bothered there, Lex?"

Lexa suddenly had the urge to wet her dry lips and cleared her throat as she took a swig of one of the drinks in her hands. She wished she was chill enough to handle herself in situations like this but that was never going to happen. Lexa mumbled something around her bottle and shrugged, her eyes never leaving Clarke's wandering hands.

The blonde rolled her eyes and shook her head in amusement, taking the other bottle back out of Lexa's hands. " You're adorable." She took a swig of her drink before handing it back to Lexa and started walking backwards as she began to speak again. "Maybe later...if you're lucky, I'll letcha hold something else for me..."Clarke bit her lip cheekily before turning back around and running into the sea.

Lexa's brain short circuited. She froze on the spot with both bottles in her hands and a stunned, idiotic expression on her face. Did Clarke just...? 

"Get in here, you idiot!" Clarke yelled playfully while trying to avoid the wild thrashes of water being sent her way by Jasper play fighting with Monty.

Lexa grinned goofily and quickly placed the bottles into the sand before removing her shirt and taking her hair down, while running as fast as she could. 

The water was lovely and cooling. Perfect for a hot summers day. There was only a slight breeze in the air and the sea was calm so it was ideal for swimming. Lexa had quickly thrown her arms around Clarke's waist and pulled her close for soft kisses as Raven started to run at them, dragging a reluctant Octavia behind her. The brunette was perfectly happy where she was, sitting on Lincoln's stomach.

"God, this is just what I needed." Clarke took a big calming breath as she relaxed into Lexa's arms, wrapping her own arms around Lexa's neck and resting their foreheads together. Nothing quietened her busy brain down like the beach. 

Lexa placed a gentle kiss on the blondes nose and whispered. " I'm glad you're feeling better Clarke." she smiled lovingly and tried to keep the light in her own eyes but of course her girlfriend could see the sadness hidden beneath.

"How're you feeling about Costia?" Clarke asked carefully.

Lexa shrugged and looked down at her own sad reflection in the water that was up to her waist. " It's..." She shrugged again as she struggled to put how she felt into words. " It hurts. It hurts that she would do that...I'm her friend or...at least I thought I was." The brunettes voice came out soft and vulnerable. She glanced up at her girlfriend and smiled tightly.

Clarke cupped the brunettes jaw in her hand and kissed her softly. " I think...Costia just got too caught up in her own feelings for you. I don't think she saw it as hurting you...more like a necessary task that needed to happen so that she could sweep you off your feet." The blonde smiled and lightly nosed over Lexa's. "You're a very desirable woman, Lexa Woods."

The brunette blushed a little and pulled Clarke closer by the hips. "She's been awful to you, don't you hate her?" Lexa tilted her head like a confused puppy.

"Oh yea, for sure." Clarke happily admitted. "I don't plan on adding her to my Christmas list any time soon but she was never my friend to begin with...she means something to you Lexa, I've seen how happy you are when you hang out together... so if there's a way for you to forgive her someday and still have her in your life, you should... I want you to be happy.", The blonde smiled honestly.

Lexa was lost for words... Clarke Griffin was a phenomenal human being.

The brunettes eyes filled with love and awe as she stared deeply into Clarke's crystal blues, hoping with all of her heart that she could feel how much those words had meant to her. "Clarke..." The brunette shook her head and puffed out a chuckle. " You are the most amazing person I have ever met." 

Clarke grinned and cupped the back of Lexa's neck, starting to lean in for a kiss. "That I am! But don't for one minute think that I won't drown the bitch if she ever dares lay a finger on you." The blonde raised a brow in warning then smiled as her lips pressed against Lexa's.

Costia needed to be spoken to...there was no way that Lexa was going to allow her behaviour to continue. She had been cruel and selfish and Lexa wasn't sure if she was ready for Costia to be in her life right now...maybe one day, if she changed her ways.

Clarke was an incredible human being... always so caring, so thoughtful and truly wanted what was best for her...

Lexa loved Clarke. She knew it. Each day it was becoming more obvious to her. This was love, pure, passionate and real...now all she needed was the right moment to say it.

Their moment was broken by a big rush of water hitting them right in the face.

"Sorry, you both looked thirsty." Anya appeared out of nowhere, wearing a smirk along with a tight black and white, striped bikini that left little to the imagination.

Lexa scowled at her cousin and wiped the water droplets off of her face. "Damn Anya. You look gorgeous!" Clarke complimented and chuckled as she too, received a scowl from her girlfriend.

"You don't look too shabby yourself, blondie." Anya smiled and then casually glanced towards Raven who was busy trying to pretend that she wasn't in the middle of a bi panic by jumping on to Octavia's back and pretending to whip her ass.

"Woah, you're...fuck!" Jasper stuttered out in his usual charming way as his eyes almost popped out, taking in Anya's model like beauty in her swim wear.

Clarke laughed. "Well said Jas!" 

"You're alright I guess...maybe in the right light..." Raven quipped, trying and failing not to grin. Lexa of course snorted at that.

Anya raised a perfectly manicured eyebrow at Raven then glanced at the other brunette who was holding on to her tightly. "Aw Reyes, I guess you got over your little crush on me then? Damn..however will my little heart mend." She deadpanned and started to study the other brunette, she assumed must be Octavia. 

" Just funning ya gorgeous! I'm still ready and willing, the second you gimmie the green light." Raven winked then realised from Anya's observing that she had not been introduced to Octavia yet. "Oh! This is Octavia by the way." The brunette that was holding her up, laughed and nodded in Anya's direction in greeting. "Lexa's cousin right? Nice to meet you. You seem sassy...I like it. I was afraid you were gonna be as shy and quiet as that one over there." Octavia gestured with her head towards Lexa who was happily whispering sweet nothings into Clarke's ear.

Raven raised a brow and considered jumping down off of Octavia's back before she got drowned along side her best friend. 

Anya glanced at her cousin before turning back to Octavia with the most threatening of death glares. She was a beautiful, tall woman with legs that went on for days whereas Octavia was beautiful and tiny in comparison...it made towering over the girl extremely easy and very necessary. 

Octavia, while nervous, showed no signs of it as Anya closed in on her. "Lexa is a fucking gentle kid with a heart of gold and she seems to have won blondies heart over there so you _will_ treat her right or you won't make it to your next birthday, understood?" Anya wait patiently for Octavia's response while staring at her, the same way a vampire stares at their next meal. 

Octavia laughed nervously, unsure of how serious Anya was being...she had never met this girl before but judging by how tense Raven was and how tightly she was gripping onto her back, Octavia thought it was best to take her at her word. "You got it, scary spice. I'll be on my best behaviour." The cocky brunette sent a big cheesy grin Anya's way and dropped Raven into the sea who squealed and landed with a big splash that managed to drench anyone close by.

After a few water themed games and a couple of rounds of chicken fights where Raven and Octavia still remained undefeated, much to Anya's frustration. Lexa and Clarke had wandered further into the sea where the water was a lot deeper so they could swim around and have some alone time, away from their friends. Both girls were strong swimmers and had tried to impress eachother with different swimming skills, Lexa could dive deeper than Clarke but Clarke could tread water longer. They had made their way over to a rocky area so they could catch their breath and relax for awhile. Clarke had checked that they hadn't swam too far away from everyone. If she squinted, her friends could still be seen from where they were but now they looked like tiny dots in the distance. 

Clarke had lifted herself up to sit on one of the flat rocks above the sea line so that she could feel the sun on her skin while still being able to dip her feet into the cool water below. Lexa had remained in the water, searching the rock crevices for interesting looking creatures and pretty shells. She was a big nerd yes, but Clarke knew that already so why hide it??

"Woahhh Clarke you missed it! There was a green looking crabby thing peeping at me!" Lexa perked at the blonde then stuck her head underwater for a second to try and see it again but the little guy had already moved on.

"That's awesome baby, see if you can spot any coolness points while you're down there. Your levels are dropping quickly and the red bar is starting to flash." Clarke grinned and bit her lip as her scowling girlfriend popped back up from under the water with droplets decorating her eyelashes. "That was very rude Clarke." Lexa playfully scolded before quickly attacking Clarke's feet with tickles. 

The blonde yelped and started to wriggle around in fits of giggles while swatting at Lexa's hands. "It's so pretty here Clarke. I mean we have a ton of lakes and rivers in Trigeda and it's always fun to explore them but here...there's just so many wonderful things to see and new places to visit... it's beautiful." Lexa smiled happily, taking in all of Polis that she could see. 

Clarke's stomach dropped at the mention of Lexa's home town. It was _so_ easy to forget that the brunette lived somewhere else...she had become the biggest, most important part of Clarke's life, how the fuck was she going to cope once Lexa went back home?!

The blonde took a deep breath and tried to stay focused on right here and now. Looking at Lexa's dreamy face made that an easy task. Clarke smiled at her girlfriend and climbed her way off of the rocks to join her girl in the water.

"You're beautiful." Clarke smiled lovingly at her girlfriend and pulled her closer until their lips met in a slow kiss.

All of Clarke's friends were now in the water enjoying their carefree day in the sun while back on the beach, a carefully folded note was being slipped into the left hand pocket of Lexa's crumpled up shirt. 

The waves were beginning to pick up slightly as the kisses being shared were starting to heat up. Lexa was currently standing on some rocks that were hidden below the water, pinning Clarke against a boulder with her hips feeling Clarke pant heavily against her neck as the brunettes lips travelled just under her ear, lightly nosing the shell before sucking at the ear lobe.

The water rested just below their necks and hands were grasping tightly at skin that was hidden under the shimmering liquid. Lexa kissed lovingly down Clarke's throat, letting out a soft growl as the blondes hand came up to scratch through her soaking wet hair.

Lexa could feel Clarke's breathing turn shallow. Her body was trembling slightly under Lexa's touch and just as Lexa was about to stop her trail of hot kisses to check on Clarke, she felt Clarke's warm palm come down on top of the hand that she had on the blondes waist. Lexa looked up into Clarke's dilated pupils and saw the blonde staring at her lips hungrily. "I um...said you could hold something else if you were lucky." The blondes voice came out nervous and shaky, biting down on her bottom lip as she looked into Lexa's eyes.

Clarke started to drag Lexa's hand further up her body making Lexa feel dizzy, especially with Clarke's intense gaze on her. What was hap..oh fuck oh fuck oh fuck!! The blonde took a deep breath to calm herself as she kept her eyes on Lexa, she licked over her lips nervously and then it happened. Clarke had guided Lexa's hand up to her breast. Lexa felt like she had died on the spot... She must've passed out right? She _had_ to be dreaming this... she was in the middle of the fucking ocean cupping Clarke Griffin's breast in her hand... All future achievements can fuck off. _This_ was the highlight of Lexa's existence!

Lexa willed her body to chill the fuck out. This was a big deal to both of them and she didn't want to ruin the moment. The brunette swallowed painfully, her throat had never felt so dry. Clarke's breast felt soft in her hand and she gave it a gentle squeeze making Clarke moan in a way that had Lexa tensing her thighs together.

Fuck this was too much with Clarke staring heatedly at her. Lexa licked over her lips quickly and started to kiss up Clarke's neck again, if she was going to make it through this without drowning, she was going to have to keep her mind and mouth busy. Clarke arched backwards with her hands in Lexa's hair, moaning with each brush of Lexa's thumb over her covered nipple. Lexa started to feel braver with every whimper Clarke made and felt more confident with her fondling. 

Lexa's lips found Clarke's again and suddenly her thigh was pressed between the blondes legs. Clarke's tongue was busy licking it's way into Lexa's mouth as her hands clawed lightly at Lexa's back, wanting the girl as close as possible and Lexa was practically grinding her hips into her, breathing heavily as her other hand moved down to squeeze at Clarke's ass. 

Fuck, nothing in this world had ever felt as wonderful.

Both girls were working themselves higher and higher. Clarke had started to breathlessly mumble swear words into Lexa's ear and that's when the brunette couldn't take it any longer, her long fingers moved their way up under the tight, wet material of Clarke's bikini top and started to roll and pinch the stiff, aching bud that was hidden beneath. Clarke jolted up and gasped out "oh fuck Lex!" Making Lexa extremely proud of herself. The more she palmed away at Clarke's breast the more she wanted to touch her everywhere. Lexa was lost in the moment and started to rub her knee into Clarke's centre. The blonde groaned, trapping Lexa's leg between her own, a sudden wet heat covered Lexa's knee and sent an aching, tingle up her thigh as it mixed with the cooling water of the sea. Lexa honestly thought she had blacked out right then and there...fuck this was all too much and sending Lexa into a dizzying puddle of gayness. How the hell was she not dreaming this?! 

Things were going so fast.

This couldn't be how their first time happened...Clarke deserved better than a horny fumble in the sea. Clarke deserved the world.

Lexa started to slow her movements and Clarke whined into their kisses. "Clarke. We need to stop." The brunette panted. "This...this is all...it can't happen, not here."

Clarke pressed their foreheads together and moved her arms around Lexa's neck. "God, you're right I know, i just...fuck Lex." The blonde huffed out an overwhelmed laugh. "You're incredible and perfect and our first time should be somewhere else... preferably away from them." Clarke pointed to the moving dots in the distance. "I just couldn't help myself." 

"Well, I am irresistible." Lexa smirked and chuckled as Clarke shoved her backwards playfully. "We should probably head back before Anya kills someone."

Clarke pouted. "Fine. But later, we're sneaking away to make out again, Woods." Clarke pointed at the brunette with a serious look on her face.

"I'm an important woman Clarke, I'll see if I can pencil you in." Lexa thought it was a funny thing to say until she felt Clarke's sandal gently clunk her on the back of her head.

* * *

_**The Dropship Diner** _

* * *

__

"Umph shit..." Echo cursed as her sleeve ripped on a tree branch. 

"Quiet!" Ontari whisper shouted, giving her friend an angry glare. "Do you want us to get caught?!"

Echo muttered something under her breath then shook her head.

"Are you sure about this? What if we get caught." Emori asked in concern. 

"We won't! Just do it.", Ontari snapped at her friend. 

It was the middle of the night and Ontari and her two minions were sneaking around outside of the locked up Dropship. The diner would normally be open through the night in summer but with the artists unveiling their work tomorrow, it felt right to close up for the night.

The girls were all dressed in black with scarves around their faces, trying to be as quiet and as careful as possible to not shake around the cans of spray paint that they all had in their backpacks. 

Ontari was keeping watch while Emori and Echo were using crowbars and other tools to try and break locks and pry the back door open. "Fuck. Come on... I've almost got...it! There." Echo grinned, pretty pleased with herself as the back door swung open. Emori had been pretty quiet since the group had met up. Ontari wasn't bothered as long as they got the job done.

"Finally." Ontari sighed and shoved passed her friends, making her way into the building. It was pitch black inside so they used their phone torches to light the way. "This is so creepy." Echo chuckled and was quickly shushed again by Ontari.

"This way." Clarke's cousin kicked a few empty supply boxes to the side and led the group through the kitchen. "You guys ready to show the little princess, she can't always get what she wants?" Ontari smiled menacingly, shaking a spray can with one hand while holding the door of the kitchen open for her friends to enter the diner.

There was a sudden clink and then the room filled with a blinding light, making all three girls scrunch their eyes up and cover their faces like vampires in daylight.

" Suprise Bitches!" Octavia sing songed with the biggest smile on her face. She lived for scandals and drama.

Once their vision adjusted to the light, they realised they were now stood Infront of a group of very angry people.

Raven stood near the entrance door with Niylah, guarding it incase the girls made a break for it. Octavia was sat on one of the diners tables. Clarke was stood next to Lexa by the counter and both diner managers were stood near Clarke's wall design that was still safely covered by a sheet.

One manager had his phone to his ear, talking to the cops. 

"I think you girls have a lot of explaining to do, don't you?" The other manager walked over to the vandals and started to take their bags of spray cans as evidence.

Clarke was beyond pissed, of course she was but while she and Ontari exchanged nasty glares, the blonde couldn't help but feel disappointed that her own cousin could do this to her. 

"She must really hate me." Clarke said to no one in particular, just needing to say it out loud. 

Lexa of course heard. 

"She's just a very angry and jealous kid, Clarke." The brunette squeezed her girlfriends shoulder, lovingly.

The whole room watched as the three girls were led away by a cop. Echo was furious and arguing with the man as he shoved her to the door. "How the fuck did they know?!" She grumbled as she went through the door.

Emori followed lastly and gave Lexa a subtle nod which was returned as she walked through the door. 

It had been a long day and everyone wanted to get home.

* * *

The three girls got off with a warning as only the back door to the diner was damaged and the managers didn't want to press charges. The girls would have to pay to have the door fixed and a few locks replaced but more importantly, Ontari and her friends were now banned from the Dropship for life.

(Emori didn't deserve that punishment but if she was caught going into the diner ever again, it wouldn't take a genius to work out who tipped them off and her 'friends' would definitely make her pay for her actions.) 

It was better for everyone this way.

* * *

_**The Unveiling** _

* * *

The morning after, the artists families and friends had all gathered inside of the Dropship for all of the walls to be uncovered at the same time. The place was packed with over excited chattering and a whole lot of nervous energy...most of it coming from Clarke.

"Oh god, I think I'm gonna pass out." The blonde started wafting at her face to cool herself down while taking big breaths. Jake was trying to hide his giggles while rubbing his daughters back, soothingly. "You're going to be fine kiddo! We're all here to support you and whatever is on your wall, I'll promise to love no matter what...even if it's a picture of me and your mom in out unicorn onesies." Jake winked a second before his face filled with panic. "Oh god, it's not right?"

Clarke chuckled and shook her head. "I love you guys in those but I don't think it'd be appreciated by the managers." 

"Is Griff freaking out again?! Dude take a long walk or breathe into a paper bag or something." Raven mumbled while picking burger out of her teeth.

The diner tables had been covered in a tasty selection of the Dropships finest foods. Drinks were being served by the staff and upbeat music was playing on the jukebox. Clarke's friends were eating their weight in fries and getting to know the rest of the guests. 

Miller and Jackson were chatting to one of the other artists and his boyfriend. Lincoln was sat in a booth with Octavia on his lap. Jasper and Monty had filled their plates up sky high while Harper was adorably trying to clean up after them. 

Abby was enjoying Lexa's company and was thrilled that the hospital had given her the morning off to go and see her daughter's work.

Gustus and Anya hadn't wanted to intrude on something so special but had promised to show up later on that day and Well's would be arriving any minute.

Clarke took a look around at everyone she loved and suddenly the butterflies in her stomach had mutated into more intense flappy versions. Oh God! She couldn't do this...why did she think that she could..

"Clarke, breathe." Lexa's soft, soothing voice sounded, next to her ear. "Everything's going to be fine." Her strong arms, wrapped around Clarke's waist from behind. "I promise." The brunette place a soft kiss on Clarke's shoulder.

And that's all it took, Clarke calmed almost instantly. Lexa's presence and familiar scent, filled her with warmth and safety. She could do this...with Lexa by her side, she could do anything.

"Wow. I've never seen someone relax so quickly." Gaia laughed as she wandered away from her friends to say hi. "You must be the girlfriend. Lexa right? Clarke never shuts up about you." The bleach blonde woman held a hand out with a smile.

Clarke rolled her eyes. "Was it really necessary to tell her that??"

"Yes. Yes it was." Lexa responded for her. " Yes I'm Lexa, you must be Gaia, right? Heard alot about you too." The brunette smiled and shook Gaia's hand.

"All good things I.." Gaia lost her train of thought as a handsome guy walked through the door. "Hm? Oh I mean...I hope she only shared the good stuff!" She cleared her throat and smiled cheerfully.

"Of course she-" 

"Hey hey hey! Here she is! Miss artistic genius of the year!" Well's excitedly cut Lexa off as he swung his best friend around, making Clarke squeal.

"Well's put me down." Clarke pleaded around a fit of giggles.

Once he finally gave in and her feet were back on the ground, Clarke turned and hugged her best friend. "I'm so glad you're here."

"I wouldn't of missed it for the world! You're my...." He lost his train of thought as he glanced at a shy looking Gaia. "My er... my bestie." He cleared his throat and darted his eyes nervously around anywhere the pretty new girl wasn't.

"It's good to see you Well's." Lexa smiled and then looked surprised as he pulled her in for a hug. "You too, Lexa."

"Gaia, this is my best friend Well's, you might've seen him around town. He works at the ice cream place on the pier."

"Oh yeah? I mean no..no I haven't met Well's was it? Hi..hi there." Gaia fumbled over her words, making Clarke look at her in confusion.

"Hey, um..Gaia right? It's good to see you... I mean meet you. Not that it's not nice to see you though... I erm..hi." Well's stuttered over himself and quickly walked away to grab a drink.

Clarke hummed. "Well that was..."

"Odd." Lexa finished for her.

Gaia glanced in Well's direction and lingered there for a few seconds too long.

"Oh my god! You fancy Well's!" Clarke squealed a little too loudly.

"What?! No I don't! You're crazy." Gaia scoffed. "Anyway, what was that? My mom needs more ketchup? Sure! I'll get it!" The bleach blonde scurried away before Clarke could grill her further. 

Lexa broke out into laughter and Clarke would've joined in but it was now time for the unveiling... God, here come the nerves again...

* * *

All of the sheets had been removed at the same time, each artists family and friends stood in silence as their design came into view for the first time. It wasn't long before the diner was filled with quiet gasps and "ooohhh"s" as their eyes started to focus on the whole display Infront of them.

"Oh.My.God." Lexa gasped, mouth falling open as she took in the design Infront of her.

Right there on the wall that faced the entrance to the diner, Clarke's design...

A large, metal spaceship, shining in a silver metal armour. Filled the entire top section of the wall. The background was filled with a starry night sky made up of different shades of grey and bright, golden lights acting as stars.

The bottom section of the wall was a ground made of different sized, colourful burgers filled with all types of ingredients. An oversized milkshake took up half of the right side of the wall and an oversized packed of fries, took over half of the left.

The middle of the wall held the most interesting piece of the design. Clarke had silhouettes of all of her friends, falling from the spaceship in different poses. Each silhouette had a brightly coloured item that helped identify who was who.

"Hey that's me!" Jasper pointed to a silhouette that had bright green goggles on his head, while shoving a fry into his mouth. "How come _I'm_ the one who's about to drown in the big milkshake?!" He pouted with puppy eyes.

Clarke shrugged. "That's what you get for always being late for your shifts at the bait shop." She smiled and winked at her dad. 

Raven found herself by her red leather jacket, riding on top of the spaceship and nodded to herself. "Get it, girl."

Everyone else had started to excitedly look for themselves, squealing in delight and hugging Clarke while praising her on her wonderful artwork.

It was everything she was hoping it would be and then her breath caught in her throat as she saw Lexa standing right Infront of the most important part of her design with her hands clasped behind her back.

She allowed Lexa to take a moment before walking over and standing just behind her. Lexa sensed her immediately.

"Clarke..." Lexa's voice was shaky and full of emotion.

" I wanted it to be a surprise...that's why it wasn't on any of the sketches I showed you." Clarke bit her lip nervously. Lexa was so hard to read at this moment. "If it's..not okay or if it's too much..I can easily ge-"

"Clarke." Lexa spoke again to stop her nervous girlfriend from spiralling. "It's the most beautiful thing I have ever seen." The brunette spoke while never taking her eyes off the most precious gift that she had ever received.

In the distance, on top of a snowy mountain, stood two young women holding hands while looking up at the starry sky above. Two beautiful stars stood out from all of the rest...both shining more brightly and casting a warm glow over the silhouettes of both women...one with long, wavy blonde hair and the other wearing a long red scarf that flowed down like a cape. Lexa had known it was the two of them as Clarke had made fun of her countless times for bringing a red, woolen scarf on vacation with her, in the middle of summer. 

( _" You never know when a snow storm could hit, Clarke. Who would be laughing then??")_

Clarke released the breath she didn't realise she was holding and started to untense her shoulders. "I wanted to add something special for you...something private that only you and I would kn-"

Lexa spun around and blurted out. "I love you." Her heart was hammering in her chest and Clarke was looking at her like she'd just walked into the diner naked. She didn't care. She needed to say it. " I love you Clarke." She took a deep breath. "I love this too of course." She gestured quickly to the wall. "This is the most beautiful gift that anyone has ever given me Clarke." Lexa started to whimper. "I miss my parents so much." She dragged her fingers lightly over the special stars. "You did this...you brought them back to me." A tear ran down each green eye as she finally broke, allowing them to flow. " I love you so much Clarke, thank you! Thank you for everything." The brunette threw herself into Clarke's arms and started sobbing into her shoulder, whispering her love over and over again.

Clarke choked on her own emotions and broke the second Lexa was in her arms. "God, Lex. I love you too...I love you so much." She held her girlfriend tightly and whispered words of safety and reassurance into her ear as they stood in the middle of the diner, everything around them turning into a blur of unimportance.

* * *

_**Polis Beachside Caravan Park** _

* * *

There was a knock on the caravan door, later that evening. A shady looking figure stood on the other side, wearing a long trenchcoat, big black sunglasses and a floppy grey hat. Lexa laughed her ass off while Anya rolled her eyes, acting unimpressed but if you looked close enough, you'd be able to see a slight upwards curl to her lips. The girl was amused, she was fooling no one.

The figure peeked her head through the door and looked around shiftily before lowering her sunglasses and whispering. "I got the goods if you got the cash."

Lexa laughed again and pulled the idiot through the door by her sleeve. "Raven, get in here, you look ridiculous."

"Hey, I'm doing you a favour. At least let me get some entertainment outta it." The Latina pouted and started to undo her coat, giving Anya a cheeky wink as her eyes were unconsciously following the undoing of the buttons.

"So it worked? You were able to get Becca's number?" Lexa asked while pacing eagerly.

"Was there ever any doubt?" Raven scoffed. "Lorelei loves me, one flash of my pearly whites and a hint of the Reyes charm and she was putty in my hands." 

"Really?" Lexa's eyebrow raised in disbelief.

"No. Not really, but once I agreed to go on a date with her son, she finally gave me the address." Raven sighed and plopped down on the arm of the couch.

Anya's jaw tensed and her eyes darted away from Raven's.

"Jealous, sweet cheeks?" Raven smirked up at Anya, enjoying the girls sulking far too much.

Anya snorted and turned away. " Actually, I was just feeling sorry for the poor boy."

Raven stood up quickly and shook her head. "Yeah, yeah whatever you-" 

"Raven." Lexa cut in, impatiently and put her hand out. " The address?" 

"Huh? Oh! Right right!" The Latina rummaged through her pockets until she pulled out a crumpled up piece of paper and placed it into Lexa's hand.

Lexa nodded her thanks and left the two girls to argue as she went into her bedroom to think. 

This was it...she finally had what she needed! Lexa was about to make her girlfriends dreams come true. The brunette perked and kissed the piece of paper before placing it down onto the nightstand, next to another crumpled note that she had found inside her shirt pocket, yesterday. The handwriting was terrible.

_'WoOds._

_OnTari is plAnnIng 2_

_DeSTroY YoUr gIrls WaLL_

_ToNite_

_E'_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really love Emori's character so it didn't sit well with me that I made her a bad guy, earlier on...I had to fix! 
> 
> 143 is code for I love you 💖
> 
> It's Christmas!!! ⛄ 🎄 I tend to get super anxious the closer it gets to Christmas and I don't know why o.O writing has helped! If you're in the same boat or just want to chatter to a loveable jerk weasel, you can find me here... *Points below*
> 
> Tumblr - hernightsky
> 
> I hope you have a wonderful Christmas 💖  
> Stay safe and healthy!


	16. Your Heart My Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Morning texts. Lexa puts her plan into action. A little Lexa and Abby. Costia gets a talking to. Clarke gets her surprise date. Lexa spends the night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's me! I'm here! 🙋
> 
> Man, it took me a while to get back into the swing of things! o.O  
> .... really it was all Clexa's fault... Clarke tied Lexa to the mistletoe and kicked me everytime I tried to get them moving!  
> ( Plus I got sucked into a pile of Christmas movies and rolled around in wrapping paper!)
> 
> Anyway, another long chapter because I made you wait! 🎁🎁🎁

* * *

_**Polis Beachside Caravan Park** _

* * *

**To: Clarke ( 9:01 )**

**Hey Clarke! Guess what??**

**From: Clarke ( 9:02 )**

**Good morning to you too💖** **think** **I can guess, but please continue. 😉**

**To: Clarke ( 9:02 )**

**💖❤️💖 I Love You! 💖❤️💖**

**From: Clarke ( 9:04 )**

**I guessed right! I must be a genius! I** **love you too gorgeous 💞**

**To: Clarke ( 9:05 )**

**No fair :(** **How'd you guess?!**

**From : Clarke ( 9: 07 )**

**You've woken me up the same** **way for the** **last 4 mornings Lex!**

 **It's a good job you're cute!** **( And ridiculously hot 🔥 )**

**To: Clarke ( 9:07 )**

**Well I can't argue with facts! Still free** **for our mystery date** **tonight?**

****

Lexa grinned like a goofy idiot at her phone as she rested her elbows on the railings of the veranda and glanced up to smile politely at a couple of older women who were on their morning walk around the camp site.

Ever since that wonderful moment in the diner where Lexa's heart exploded with love, as she took in the piece of art that Clarke had made especially for her, the brunette had taken every single opportunity she could, to tell the blonde exactly how she felt. At last count, she was up to 32 'i love you's'....but there were plenty more hours in the day to get it to a round 40!

It had taken a few days to find a gap in her busy schedule and a lovely, heart warming speech from Lexa, but Becca Franco was now back in Polis!

Once the artist had heard what a beautiful thing her competition winner had done for her friend, it warmed her heart so much, she just _had_ to fly back over to meet the sweetest girl in Polis. Lexa was over the moon and filled with so much excitement that she nearly hyperventilated her way into a full on panic attack... luckily Anya was there to laugh at her. Bitch.

Lexa had it all planned out. 

Becca was going to be at the Polis Aquarium this afternoon and Lexa was going to take Clarke there under the guise of a date. 

Anya had agreed to drive the girls around for the night seeing as Lexa was not safe behind the wheel, plus she would probably spend the entire ride, drooling over her beautiful girlfriend and end up crashing Gustus' car into a mountain or something and then Gustus would sob his little heart out. Nobody wanted that.

Once inside the aquarium, Lexa would hand Clarke over to her idol so they could have lunch in the restaurant and talk about all things art and Lexa would wander the aquarium with Anya (who luckily agreed to the plan because she was a sucker for the baby sea turtles.) and they'd explore all things fishy that the aquarium had to offer. It would be perfect! 

Clarke couldn't know about any of this yet of course.

**From: Clarke ( 9:10 )**

**Of course! I'm so excited! You've** **been really secretive**

 **& even Rae's been 😯 I'm** **both excited & nervous!**

Lexa grinned at Clarke's response and pocketed her phone. Everything was going to plan. She just hoped Mrs Griffin managed to do her part without making Clarke suspicious.

* * *

_2 Days Earlier_

Lexa was trembling with nervous excitement as she walked up the sandy path that led to the Griffin house. Marcus the gnome stood proudly in place with just a fishing rod in hand, meaning Jake had taken the board that the gnome usually held, surfing with him. 

Lexa had learnt that Clarke was out with Raven this morning after sending the blonde her wake up call of 'I love you' texts. So that meant that this was the perfect time to put her plans in motion. 

The brunette took a deep breath to steady her nerves and to put some air back into her lungs after the walk of hell that was the trek to the Griffin's. 

After a few hard knocks, the door finally swung open and Mrs Griffin stood there with a soft smile on her face. "Hello sweetie. I'm afraid you've missed Clarke. She's wandered off somewhere with Raven." She apologised with a coffee mug in hand.

"That's okay. I was erm...I was actually hoping to talk with you if that's okay?" Lexa bounced on her heels, clasping her hands behind her back.

Abby Griffin raised a brow in suprise and moved out of the doorway to allow Lexa in. " Of course sweetheart, what can I do for you?" Clarke's mother smiled and gestured to the living room as Lexa walked through the door. Now all she needed was for her heart to stop beating so loudly then maybe she could get through her speech without rambling...too much.

* * *

Lexa sat on the couch, nevously messing with her fingers while looking up at Abby who was sat on the arm of a chair, deep in thought as she took in all of the information that Lexa had just piled on her. The brunette was pretty pleased with herself for managing to say everything she needed to say without stumbling over her words too much and making herself _even_ more nervous.

"So Clarke is in fact, getting to meet Becca Franco after all?" Abby asked in disbelief. Lexa gave a slight nod of the head in response.

Mrs Griffin puffed out a breath of laughter. "...honey that is such a beautiful thing you are doing." She shook her head, again in disbelief. " God. Clarke is going to be a nervous wreck. You realise?" She laughed.

Lexa smiled and looked down at her feet to hide the blush rising on her cheeks. "What Clarke did for _me,_ was a beautiful thing, Mrs Griffin." The brunette looked up at the blondes mother. " We weren't as close back then and yet she still chose to stay with me and help me through a tough day instead of going to meet someone who means so much to her." Lexa shook her head. " Clarke is special and this is the least I could do for her." 

Abby melted at Lexa's sweet and honest words and placed a motherly hand on the brunettes shoulder. " Your friendship may have been new back then but I'm certain even then, you meant more to her than either of you realised." Mrs Griffin smiled warmly and couldn't resist pulling the girl into a sideways hug the second she noticed Lexa's adorable ears reddening.

"Thank you Mrs Griffin." Lexa mumbled quietly while enjoying the motherly affection she so desperately craved.

"Right!" Abby slapped her own knees and stood back up. "So you need Clarke's notepad yes? The one with all the questions she wrote down to ask Becca."

Lexa nodded. "Yes. And...I mean I know it will be tricky without explaining why but...I mean, could you figure out a way to get Clarke wearing the outfit she had picked out, too?" The brunettes face crinkled in pitiful hope that maybe it was a possible request.

Abby laughed and took a deep breath. "Oh boy...yeah...that might take some crafty thinking but don't worry, I'm sure Raven can help with that." 

Honestly, anything seemed less conspicuous or strange if it was coming out of Raven's mouth. The girl could ask to borrow a shovel and a hair brush in the same sentence and nobody would bat an eye.

"Do you need anything else? I'm working evenings but if you need a ride to the -"

"No. No. It's all taken care of, Anya's driving." Lexa cut Abby off and smiled. "Thank you for the offer though." The brunette stood up and awkwardly shoved her hands in her back pockets as Abby tilted her head in thought, smiling at Lexa.

"You're a very sweet girl Lexa, I'm glad my daughter has found someone who would go to these lengths to make her dreams come true." 

Lexa blushed again and looked at the floor for a second before looking Abby right in the eyes. "I love her." 

Abby kept eye contact and smiled lovingly. "I know." 

* * *

Lexa shook herself out of the memory and started to walk down the veranda steps. There were plenty of hours before she had to get ready for her suprise so she had decided to go for a morning jog along the beach in hopes that it would drain some of the nervous adrenaline that was currently pumping through her.

She was seconds away from popping in her ear buds when she heard her name being called from further down the camp site.

"Lexa!"

Great. Costia.

Lexa rolled her eyes and huffed, preparing to just jog off. She wasn't ready to deal with her yet.

"Hey, Lexa!" Costia shouted again with more urgency.

Lexa shut her eyes for a second to calm herself down. She knew she couldn't run from this...

Lexa turned around to face Costia who was now only two caravans away. The brunette stood still, waiting for Costia to come to her as she prepared herself for the conversation that she already knew she was going to hate.

"Wow. You're a really hard person to get a hold of lately!" Costia smiled and bent over slightly as she caught her breath back from running over. "I guess you heard about my mom and your uncle?" She asked with a shake of the head. "It's crazy right?? I mean, they're such an odd pairing." The taller brunette laughed a little which made Lexa instantly defensive.

"What's that supposed to mean?! Gus is a great man and your mom is lucky to be with him." Lexa snapped while looking into Costia's eyes angrily.

Costia startled at the anger that was aimed her way and backed up slightly with her hands up in defence. "Woah. I didn't mean anything by it. I just...they're both very different people that's all. Wonderful people...just... different." The taller brunette cautiously took a step closer again as Lexa's scowl, softened slightly.

Costia tried again as there was clearly something wrong with her friend.

"Lex, is everything -"

"My name's Lexa!" The younger Woods cousin huffed and then mumbled. "To you, it's Lexa." She was starting to look and act like a sulking toddler but she didn't care.

Costia puffed out a breath of humourless laughter in shock at how Lexa was acting. "Okay... _Lexa._ What the heck is a matter with you today?? Did you have an argument with Clarke or something?"

Lexa scoffed. "You'd like that wouldn't you?"

Costia's brows furrowed as she moved closer. Lexa instinctively moved backwards a few steps.

"Look Lexa, I have no idea what's going on but -" 

"I know what you said to Clarke!" Lexa cut the girl off angrily. "I know you've been scheming and trying to break us up!"

Costia's skin flushed as she gulped down the sudden nerves and the 'oh shit' that was screaming inside of her.

"Listen, Lexa I -"

"No! How could you do that?" Lexa's face immediately changed from anger to sadness as her eyes filled with water. "You were supposed to be my friend. I trusted you..." The brunette choked out around a sob. " Clarke means everything to me and you tried to break us up...you tried to make me doubt her feelings for me and you asked the waitress at the diner to flirt with her!" Lexa's fists tightened and she took a deep breath to control the anger building up inside. 

Lexa remained silent for a second to keep her emotions together.

"I thought you were a true friend Costia...I don't have many of them." Lexa glanced at Costia with hurt in her eyes. "I guess I was wrong." She started to turn away.

Costia had tears in her eyes as she desperately grabbed at Lexa's arm. "Lexa, please! Let me just...can I just explain...please??" 

Lexa must've taken pity on how devastated Costia looked because she remained standing where she was while staring at the ground, giving the occasional glance into Costia's watery eyes.

Costia took a breath before she started and ran a hand through her wild head of curls. "I _did_ do all of those things, yes." She nodded in agreement. " I was a bitch to Clarke and I tried to break you both up...I know how bad that sounds but... Lexa, I really like you..." 

" And that's supposed to make it okay?!" The brunette barked out.

"No of course not I just...I don't know. I guess I just thought if I could get you away from her...if I could be the person you went to, when you needed to talk...if I could be there for you. Maybe you'd start seeing me differently." Costia moved closer and took it as a good sign that Lexa never moved back. "I really like you Lexa. So much. I just wanted the chance to show you how incredible we could be together." The taller brunette thought about reaching out to take Lexa's hand but quickly decided against it as the frown on her friends face was still in place.

"I don't want to be with you Costia. I'm sorry." Lexa's voice came out in a monotone as she looked anywhere but at the girl in front of her. "I love Clarke. She's the kindest person I've ever met and even after the way you treated her, she still said I should try and keep you in my life because you were important to me." The brunette instantly warmed inside as she thought about Clarke's beautiful heart. "You hurt my girlfriend and yet she still encouraged our friendship because she cares about me and wants me to be happy...that's how incredible she is."

Lexa looked Costia dead in the eye. "You thought about yourself and you alone. You didn't care if my heart was broken or the fact that you would've caused it. You were going to use my broken heart as a way to get closer to me." Lexa shook her head and started to breathe heavily in frustration.

"That's not caring about someone... it's selfish."

"Lexa, I'm so sorry." Costia was desperate to touch her friend, balling her sleeves up in her hands to stop herself as she moved closer. " I know I've been a total bitch and I don't deserve your forgiveness but please don't hate me...I've fucked up. It's just because I like you so much...it made me crazy. All I could think about was being with you and how to make it happen...I'm so sorry for how I acted with Clarke and I promise I'll apologise to her. Just please... don't hate me, okay?" The taller brunette pleaded with tears in her eyes.

Lexa stared disappointedly at Costia then tilted her back, closing her eyes for a moment as she took in a much needed breath of air.

"I don't hate you Costia." Lexa replied, quietly.

"I just can't be your friend." 

Costia painfully swallowed the lump in her throat and nodded.

"Not yet." Lexa finished and walked away.

* * *

** _The Meet Up_ **

* * *

"Lexa, quit shuffling around and bouncing your knee up and down so much. You're filling the car with anxiety and it's making me on edge." Anya grumbled from the driver's seat.

It was time. Everything was prepared and Becca had been in contact to say she was on her way to the aquarium. Lexa had been a shaky pile of nerves ever since, with ever passing minute was a minute closer to Lexa hurling her guts out of the window. Anya had already opened the window fully, in preparation.

"I'm sorry, I just..." The brunette shuffled again and held the seatbelt off of her chest to allow extra breathing space. "What if this is a bad idea?? Clarke has no clue where she is going...what if she hates that I put her in this position and then dumps me??" Lexa let out a shaky breath and an involuntary whine making Anya soften and place a comforting hand on her cousins knee.

" Okay you need to chill, seriously...you're gonna pass out before we even get to the aquarium." Anya replied in concern. "What you are doing is a beautiful thing Lex and Clarke will probably want your babies because of it so take some deep breaths and smile because we're here and I bet that's Clarke I can see in the window." Anya pointed to a moving shape in the downstairs window of the Griffin house and Lexa really needed a paper bag to breathe into.

"Go get your girl, dumbass." Anya rolled her eyes and tapped her fingers casually on the steering wheel.

Lexa took a calming breath and opened the car door, this was it. She could do this...the brunette moved eagerly and was immediately flung back into her seat with a rough thunk, while banging her head on the roof of the car.

Anya burst out laughing and threw her head back at the ridiculous mess that was her cousin.

Lexa scowled. "That wasn't funny Anya."

" I assure you it was." Anya howled as she smacked her hand against the wheel. "Generally, the seatbelt is usually opened before trying to exit the vehicle." The older Woods cousin quipped with a smirk as Lexa unfastened herself with a huff. "I can't wait to tell blondie how much of a useless lesbian you are.

Lexa was now standing outside of the car and had ducked her head back through to reply. " Don't you dare." She glared in warning and then mumbled. "She already knows." Lexa shut the car door and made her way up to Clarke's house.

The door opened the second Lexa had made it onto the porch and Clarke stood there with a smile on her face, her eyebrow raised seductively. "Do I look acceptable for our mystery date, Woods?"

Clarke's long blonde hair was down and curled beautifully. Her makeup was light and elegant and she wore a long navy blue dress with matching, small heeled shoes and a short sleeved, open black cardigan over the top.

Lexa's mouth dropped open as her eyes shamelessly scanned the length of her stunning girlfriend, making Clarke chuckle and blush.

"Clarke." The brunette cleared her dry throat. "You look so beautiful." She immediately took Clarke's hand and pulled her close for a soft meaningful kiss.

The blonde moaned into the kiss that ended far too soon and ran her thumb over Lexa's lips to remove any stains of lipstick. "You look gorgeous yourself babe. Though it's not fair that you get to wear trainers when Raven practically wrestled me into these shoes." The blonde teased with a smirk as Lexa gently tugged her hand and led the way to the car.

Lexa had fussed with her own outfit. She didn't want to appear too fancy as she'd only be walking through the aquarium with Anya, but then she didn't want to look overly casual either otherwise Clarke would be suspicious. In the end, the brunette had settled for her nicest dark green button down with the sleeves rolled to the elbows, a pair of black jeans that looked more like trousers and a dark pair of trainers that fit the rest of her outfit. Her hair was down and as wild as always...Polis humidity was a total hair fuck.

"I love you Clarke but you will never see me in fancy girl shoes." Lexa grinned, her heart warming as Clarke bit her own lip as she stared at the brunette, dreamily. The "I love you"s' were still recieving a powerful reaction each time they were said and Lexa was mentally patting herself on the back each and every single time.

Clarke stalled just before reaching the car and spoke softly out of nerves, while also hoping Anya's ears weren't tuning in. "Hey, I was wondering how you feel about staying over tonight? Rae's staying over at O's, my mum's working the night shift and my dad's got an early delivery for the bait shop so he's decided to sleep there. I um, I'll be all alone and I know firsthand that you're really comfy to sleep on." The blonde chuckled and tried to appear confident through the blush on her cheeks. "It's up to you. Think about it, okay?" She smiled gently as Lexa found herself nodding with the hottest ears she'd ever had.

The brunette held the backdoor of the car open for Clarke and then had chosen to climb into the backseat with her as it would be easier to talk on the journey and honestly...why sit with Anya when you have Clarke Griffin in the car!

"Blondie." Anya welcomed while looking at the girl through the rearview mirror.

"Hey Anya. Thanks for playing chauffeur tonight. I'd have driven but I have no idea where we're going." The blonde laughed and squeezed Lexa's trembling hand in reassurance. 

"No worries. It was either driving you morons around or playing Scrabble with my dad and I'm pretty sure he makes up words to appear smart while also knowing I'm too lazy to look them up to check." Anya shrugged and started the car.

They were 15 minutes in, as the trees and mountains zoomed past in the distance, Lexa had started to over think and had become really tense while the other girls voices were talking somewhere in the background, not enough to shake the brunette out of her thoughts. Her death grip on Clarke's hand was what brought the blonde to realise just how anxious her girlfriend was.

Clarke leaned over to place a kiss on Lexa's cheek, making the brunette snap out of it. " It's going to be perfect Lex, it doesn't matter where we're going." The blonde assured in a whisper and smiled warmly.

Lexa smiled back and calmed under her girlfriends words. It would be okay. Everything was okay.

"So. Do I get a clue? Are we having a picnic on the mountain? Or going for a horse ride somewhere?? Cause I really don't think I'm dressed appropriately for that.", The blonde chuckled, trying to ease Lexa's nerves. "Oh! Paintball!"

Lexa laughed and squeezed Clarke's hand. "None of those things I'm afraid but thank you for the ideas for next time. " The brunette winked and went to nervously bite her fingernails before stopping herself.

They were around 40 minutes from the aquarium and Lexa had promised herself that she'd spill the beans when they had half an hour to go so that Clarke had time to prepare herself before they arrived. Anya had known about this and it made Lexa smile as she watched her cousin, nervously check the clock every few minutes. It seems she wasn't the only one filling the car with nervous energy. If only the car could run on that... they'd save so much on gas money.

After a few more minutes of Clarke pointing out different Polis attractions that they were driving past, they came to a section of deserted land that was perfect for the talk. "Hey Ann, can you pull over please?"

Clarke's head shot in Lexa's direction with a very confused expression on her face. Anya remained quiet and pulled the car over as Lexa cleared her throat and turned towards her girlfriend. Fuck. Okay... right.

"What's going on Lex?" The blonde asked cautiously. " Did you bring me out here to kill me?" Clarke chuckled. "Is there a shovel and some duct tape in the trunk?"

"Oh! There actually is!" Anya jumped in. " It's a funny story actual-"

"Ahn!" Lexa snapped in annoyance and Anya raised her hands in apology and turned back round.

The brunette let go of Clarke's hand to wipe her sweaty palms onto her jeans and Anya hunched down into her seat, casually pretending not to pay attention while chewing on her fingernails... clearly a nervous Woods habit.

"Okay so..." The brunette kept her eyes on her own hands as they messed with a loose thread on her jeans. "The thing is... well, we're going to the aquarium."

"The aquarium!" Clarke beamed and clapped her hands together excitedly. "I love it there! Did you know they have -"

"Babe, wait." Lexa quickly took both of the blondes hands to stop her rambling. "We _are_ going to the aquarium but...I won't be your date for the evening..." The brunette glanced into the eyes of her very confused girlfriend. 

" Okay so..." Lexa figured it'd be easier to just get it all out while concentrating on her own hands while they were holding Clarke's. "I know what you did for me Clarke. I know that you missed out on meeting Becca Franco because of me." She braved a glance at Clarke who was getting ready to defend her own decision about that night so she carried on before Clarke could make excuses for her.

"The fact that you did that...I mean we weren't even together back then but you still stayed to comfort me when you already had plans that were pretty much a once in a life time kinda thing...God, Clarke." Lexa shook her head. " It overwhelmed me that anyone could be so kind. But it also broke my heart that you missed out on something so special." 

Clarke leaned in and whispered. "I'd do it again in a heartbeat." The look of pure love that came from both, her beautiful blue eyes and gorgeous smile had Lexa screaming to marry the girl right then and there.

Lexa puffed out a breath. "I know you would. You're incredible and that's why I couldn't leave it like that. This next bit is going to blow your mind." Lexa chuckled.

"Martha's granddaughter is also an artist, I know you know that already...she confuses you with her and calls you both smudge."

Clarke was looking lost again but nodded along anyway.

"Well Anya as it turns out, is kind of a Sherlock Holmes when she's fast asleep."

The older Woods cousin doffed her non existent cap.

"And basically she somehow worked out that Becca Franco is actually Martha's granddaughter...."

"WHAT?!" Clarke nearly shot out of her seat but luckily, she was safely buckled in. Score two for seatbelts.

"How?? I mean, what?? How can Martha be related to Becca and I not know about it?!" The blonde started to shuffle about in her seat while the cogs in her brain were in overload.

"Well Martha's not exactly all there most of the time and I guess to her, Becca is just her loving granddaughter." Lexa shrugged. 

"And you worked all of this out??" Clarke looked at Anya through the mirror and received a cheeky wink and a smug grin. " Oh God. I can't believe it." The blonde covered her face with her hands in frustration. "How did I miss it?? I could've - WAIT!" The blonde smacked Lexa's leg enthusiastically. "Who the hell am I meeting at the aquarium?!"

Lexa let out a happy chuckle and kissed over Clarke's knuckles. "Well, once Anya worked that out, we kinda went on a mission to get Becca's contact information from Martha and well..."

"The conversation went round and round in circles to the point you wanted to rip your own arm off and cry?" Clarke offered. 

Anya laughed without turning round in her seat and Lexa nodded frantically. "Pretty much. She even got me to do some chores around her house and I still don't know how that happened." The brunette shook her head. "So anyway, that was a waste of time and we thought all hope was lost but then we got Raven involved and she managed to sweet talk one of the carers into giving her the information." 

"Raven knows about this?? Hell, that girl has never _ever_ been able to keep a secret from me! I love it. She must've been going out of her mind." The blonde smirked and then remembered the important part of the conversation and bolted up in her seat again, once more smacking Lexa's leg. "Are you telling me, I'm on my way to meet Becca Fucking Franco?!?!?!"

Lexa quickly gripped the blondes hand to stop the violence on her leg and nodded shyly. " She can't wait to meet you Clarke. She _also_ sees how special you are." 

Clarke one handedly unbuckled her seatbelt and threw herself into Lexa, holding her tightly as she squealed in excitement and bounced up and down, making the car rock. "Lexa...oh my god!!!" The blonde cupped her girlfriends face and started to kiss her deeply while Anya made gagging noises and hid her eyes behind her hand.

"I can't fucking believe it! Oh my god!!! Oh...my god." The excitement quickly started to turn into panic. "Oh god. Lex... It's Becca..." Clarke tensed in Lexa's arms and her breathing picked up. " Oh fuck! Lex, I'm not prepared...I.... What do I even say to her?? I...I can't." 

"Hey...hey.. breathe love." The brunette rubbed soothingly over Clarke's back and placed a gentle kiss on the blondes chin. "You wrote down everything you wanted to ask her, remember? You put down all of your questions into a notepad, ready for your dinner with her and that notepad happens to be in this cars glove compartment right now." Lexa smirked at Clarke's bewildered expression.

"I may have gotten help from your mom." The brunette blushed shyly.

Clarke stared in awe at her girlfriend for a few moments before collapsing into her again and wrapping her arms around the girl, tightly. "Oh my god Lex. I don't even know what to say right now...you...you're so fucking unbelievable...wait! This is the outfit I was going to meet Becca in the first time....was this you too??" Clarke pulled back, tilting her head in thought.

Lexa laughed then nodded again. "I asked your mom to help but she said it would be easier for Raven to get you into it." 

Clarke groaned and hid behind her hands. "That crafty bitch. Why do I never question her?? I should know by now that she's always up to something." 

Lexa laughed again and rubbed gently over Clarke's trembling arms. "So. You ready to do this?" She asked carefully, the nerves starting to make her unsure of herself again. "I know I sprung this on you and sometimes surprises are a really bad idea...if you don't want to go or you don't feel ready, we can just go...I can call her..."

" Or you guys can go walk around the aquarium for awhile until you feel ready and I'll entertain Becca....then maybe once you calm down, you can take over? Or not, I mean, I can take you both home now and we can figure something out..." Anya offered with a friendly smile.

Nervous rambling also ran in the Woods family it seemed.

Clarke melted at the sweetness coming from both girls and shook her head slowly. "No. This is incredible and I want to do this. Thank you so much...both of you." The blonde smiled at both girls, gratefully. " I can't believe this is happening." She chuckled. " I'm so glad there's half an hour left before we arrive also! I need time to calm the hell down and to get my head around everything." She puffed out a sigh and settled back down into her seat as Lexa finally started to breathe normally again.

Anya started the car and smiled at Lexa through the mirror before taking off again.

"Okay, we have time to kill.... somebody please explain in detail, how the hell you worked out that Martha was Becca's grandmother??" Clarke questioned as the trees and mountains started to zoom past again. 

Anya grinned, happy to explain her genius. "Well Smudge...sit back and prepare to gaze at me in wonder."

* * *

**_🐋_ _The_ _Big Splash Polis Aquarium_ _🐋_**

_🐚_ _(_ _Feeling Crabby? Don't Be Shellfish!_ _🐚_

 _🐙 Bring_ _The Family Along!)_ _🐙_

* * *

The journey to the aquarium had gone by faster than anyone was expecting. The closer they got, the less feeling Lexa had in her hand as Clarke was slowly killing the nerves inside with how tightly she was gripping on. 

As they pulled into one of the few empty parking spaces, everyone inside of the car, sat in nervous silence for a few moments before Anya decided to take control.

"Okay girls, here's the plan. First we're going to find Becca."

"Oh God." A wave of nerves flowed through Clarke, making her grip Lexa's hand tighter.

"It's okay Clarke." Lexa whispered in reassurance and nodded for Anya to continue.

"So as I was saying...we find Becca. Then make sure Clarke can handle it without passing out or tossing her cookies all over the poor woman."

"Lex!" Clarke gripped Lexa's shirt in her other fist with panic in her eyes as she thought about that possibility.

"Ahn!" Lexa snapped angrily at her cousin for making things worse instead of better.

"Chill. I was kidding! Everything will be fine blondie, I promise." Anya reached behind her seat to give Clarke's knee a squeeze.

"So we'll drop blondie off with Becca, make sure everything is fine and then you and I can go find some cute sea turtles and maybe pet an otter or something, sound good??" 

Lexa rolled her eyes at her cousin and gave a single nod while internally squealing at the possibilities that there may be otters close by.

It was going to be a great afternoon, Lexa was sure of it and once they finally convinced Clarke to get out of the car and Anya had pulled the notepad from the glove compartment, they made their way to the entrance.

Polis Aquarium was a huge building made of large glass walls with metal details in all shades of blue, the thick double doors led into a wide open space with a large reception desk in the centre. It was the middle of the summer holidays so of course the place was packed with tourists and over excited children. The three girls stood by the wall, looking around awkwardly like shifty criminals. They must've appeared that way to some of the staff members also because it wasn't long before one came over to them to check they were okay. 

It turned out Becca had informed the staff that she was expecting visitors and seeing as she was a rather big name in Polis, the staff were only too happy to help and guide her guests in the right direction. 

The restaurant was spacious and rather fancy for an aquarium. But as it was the middle of the afternoon, barely any tables were taken which made it each for the girls to spot the very beautiful and flawlessly dressed Becca Franco who had spotted them walking in and had started to walk over. 

The stunning woman had on a classy black dress, knee length boots and simple light jewelry that had the same pattern as the clutch bag she was holding. Her long dark hair curled down over her shoulders and her bright red lipstick made her smile pop. She was gorgeous.

"Oh fuck." Clarke puffed out in a breath, clinging on to Lexa's hand tightly.

"You might want to cool it with the swearing blondie. There are kids about and a parent clipping you round the ear, isn't a good look Infront of ...the hottest woman to walk the earth, damn. You sure you want to do this meeting?? I really don't mind filling in for you!" Anya stared at the endless set of legs walking their way and almost drooled onto Clarke's shoulder.

"Anya. Quiet." Lexa rushed out in a whisper as Becca came and stood in front of them. 

"Girls. It's so lovely to meet you all. I'm Becca and which one of you beautiful young women is the super talented Clarke Griffin?" The artist asked softly and gave off more confidence in her perfect smile than the other three had, all together.

Lexa gently tugged at her girlfriends hand to pull her out of her nervous trance.

"Oh um. That would be me." Clarke cleared her throat and smiled, taking the hand that Becca was offering.

"It's wonderful to meet you Clarke." Becca smiled so warmly, it was starting to calm the blonde down. "It was such a shame that we didn't get the chance to meet last time, your artwork blew me away Clarke. I had so many questions for you and i was truly disappointed that I never had the chance to ask them...that was of course until I heard the reasons why you couldn't come and meet me."

Becca turned towards who she assumed was Lexa by the hand holding and smiled again. "You must be the sweetheart who called me, yes? Lexa, right?"

Lexa blushed and gave a nod. "Thank you so much for agreeing to this meeting. I know you're a busy woman."

" After the way you talked so lovingly about your girlfriend, how could I say no?" Becca tilted her head with a smile at Lexa. " Your speech was so beautiful and Clarke, you made exactly the right choice that night. It just goes to show how special you are." Becca winked, making the blonde flustered as she tried and failed to keep eye contact.

" We have a lot to discuss, you and I so how about we have that meal that I owe you?" Becca carefully seperated Clarke's hand from Lexa's and held it herself as she turned towards the Woods cousins. " Ladies, everything has been paid for so feel free to book a tour or go crazy in the gift shop okay? Go enjoy yourselves and I promise to look after this one for you." She gave Clarke's hand a little squeeze and ran her thumb over her knuckles to bring comfort to the clearly starstruck girl next to her.

"Oh wow. Thank you Becca, that's incredible." Lexa beamed and turned towards her girlfriend who was still trying her best not to freak the hell out infront of her idol. "Enjoy your lunch baby." The brunette wrapped her arms loosely around her girlfriend and casually whispered into her ear. "You got this Clarke. Just breathe." Lexa placed a gentle kiss on the blondes cheek and once she received the nod of approval from her girlfriend, she started to follow Anya who was already looking for the gift shop.

Becca gave Clarke's hand another excited squeeze and truly looked so happy to finally get to meet the young artist. "So, Smudge the 2nd. We finally get to meet." The flawless woman grinned around a cheeky giggle. "My grandmother is a huge fan of yours." She, carefully tugged on Clarke's hand and led the way to her table.

Clarke looked up at the artist with a grin of her own. "Oh Martha is...I mean, wow. There is nobody quite like her and definitely nobody as adorable." The blonde chuckled. "I still can't believe you're her granddaughter...I'm so frustrated with myself for never working it out! I mean Anya met the woman once and suddenly she had all of the answers." Clarke huffed at herself and shook her head in annoyance before pulling a chair out from under the table and sitting down across from the artist.

"Oh trust me... I know how you feel! That drawing over the fireplace...for so long, I've been mesmerised by it and each time I asked my grandmother about it, she just replied "Smudge drew it." Becca rolled her eyes and looked to the ceiling for strength. "I love that woman so much but she could drive anyone to drink." The artist laughed. " I knew I hadn't drawn it, it was only when your lovely girlfriend got in contact and explained everything to me.... everything over the years, started to make so much sense and then to find out, you were also the winner of my competition..." Becca made a "mind blown" action with her hands. "I mean I should've known it was the same person...you have a unique style Clarke, your work is as special as you are."

Clarke's mouth fell open as she stared at the artist with a blank expression. "You... you asked about my drawing??" The blondes mind decided to block out the "mesmerised" part in order to keep the poor girl from passing out from shock. 

"Of course Clarke." Becca spoke as if it was obvious. "You captured my grandmother perfectly. I've thought about painting her in the past...but I never thought I'd be able to do her justice. Your drawing is so carefully detailed yet it somehow feels like it was so simple for you to create... it's remarkable."

Clarke shook her head in disbelief. "Thank you...I mean, coming from you, that is the biggest compliment ever but _I'm_ supposed to be the one doing the complimenting here!" Clarke scolded playfully with a laugh, making Becca laugh too.

"Oh trust me, we'll get to that. My ego is always happy for a boost. I'm getting tired of being able to fit my head through doorways." The artist joked as they finally picked up the menu's off the table. 

"I hear the food here is delicious and speaking of food...I heard about the wall you designed in the Dropship." Becca nodded extra slowly, totally impressed with the young blonde. "I've been meaning to check it out. It looks like I'm going to have to keep a close eye on you Miss Griffin." Becca held eye contact for a long moment as she smiled and then raised a hand to call a waitress over.

This was the best day of Clarke's life!

and it wasn't over yet...

* * *

"Ahn! Did you see that?! A baby shark just went over head." Lexa beamed like she was a kid on Christmas morning. (or like adult Anya on Christmas morning.) 

They were currently standing inside the aquariums underwater shark tunnel, watching as bright, beautiful fish of all shapes and sizes swam above their heads. They had decided not to take Becca up on her generous offer of using a tour guide as they wanted to do their own thing and Anya had also taken that to mean, she could then take home more free crap from the gift shop as a bonus.

Anya was busy trying to flirt with one of the divers who was swimming by and feeding the sharks, so she had completely ignored her baby cousin.

Lexa took her eyes off the wonders above and turned to her cousin just in time to see her winking and biting her bottom lip in seduction. For crying out loud, really?! Lexa rolled her eyes and wandered over, nudging Anya with her elbow. "Seriously? Do you have no shame?? There are kids about!"

"What?? I'm making that guys day." Anya shrugged defensively. "Anyway. We're supposed to be seeing baby sea turtles but you dragged me in here and it's been hours."

"Ahn. It's been ten minutes." Lexa closed her eyes and took a deep breath to stop herself throwing Anya into one of the shark tanks. "We will go and see the baby turtles next oka..woaaaaaah!! Did you see that?! That giant green fish just totally scared that group of mean looking ones over there!" The brunette pointed with a huge grin and suddenly Anya was no longer in the girls thoughts. 

It had been another twenty minutes of sharks and Lexa bouncing up and down before Anya had gotten her way. They were now in a room that held tons of tanks with the sweetest little baby sea turtles inside, swimming about and minding their own business. Anya had turned into a puddle of affectionate mush and had started using a voice that is usually saved for talking to babies or puppies. 

Lexa had never seen her like this before and she wasn't sure if she should laugh or run away in fear..Who the hell was this alien in an Anya suit!!

"HelloOoOo lickle ickle cutie! Oh look at you! Splish splash splish splash! Ohhh Lexa c'mere, you have to see this one! He's so sweet!" Anya giddily bounced as she stared lovingly at her favourite tiny turtle.

Lexa cautiously walked over with confusion on her face and her eyebrow raised sky high. "I have no idea who you are but you already have Anya's body now so there's no need to kill me too." She teased while trying to remain straight faced.

Anya rolled her eyes and glared. " Don't be mean to your cousin who is doing you a favour by being here..." She reminded gently before tilting her head in thought. " Remember when Becca said that everything was paid for, so go wild??" 

Lexa chuckled. "You can't take a turtle home with you Ahn." The younger cousin informed, regretfully.

Anya sighed. "Fun sucker. I wonder how blondie is getting on? Hopefully her lunch remains in her stomach and not over Becca's boots." Anya chuckled to herself as they started to wander into a forest themed area with lots of ponds.

"Don't even joke about that." Lexa scolded with her eyes. "I'm sure she's doing great." A smile broke out on her face. "She's wanted this for so long. It has to go perfectly." Clarke deserved a wonderful night after everything she's done. Lexa wanted everything to be perfect. 

Anya sat herself down on one of the rock pools before Lexa pulled her back up again with a frown. The older Woods cousin rolled her eyes at the rule following nerd. "I'm sure she's doing fine. Becca seems really nice and friendly. They're probably obsessively talking about all things Smudge and the latest paint colour that's on trend." Anya smirked.

Lexa hoped she was right. "Can you drop me off at Clarke's tonight? She said I could stay over." The brunette tried to ask casually with her back towards her cousin. She thought it was best to leave out the fact that nobody else would be home.

It felt like a long moment of silence had past when really it had only been a second before Anya spoke. "Sure squirt. I can leave you at Clarke's..." Lexa bit her lip and crinkled her face up, slightly worried by Anya's unusual tone. The brunette didn't need to turn around to know that Anya was still staring at her, most likely with a weird smirk on her face.

In truth, Lexa hadn't really slept over at anyone's house before. She was never that close to her friends in school and this was her first relationship...no wonder Anya's tone sounded different. Lexa figured the best way to deal with this situation was to ignore it and hope Anya did too and that is why she refused to turn around and give Anya exactly what she wanted. Instead she just mumbled a fast "awesome, thanks!" And charged on ahead.

Anya's mouth dropped open. She really wasn't expecting that move from her pesky cousin. Damn it! The sulking older brunette, huffed and quickly charged on after the girl.

* * *

By the time the cousins had been around most of the themed locations and spent far too long looking at the otters and stingrays, they had finally found the gift shop and had spent a long period of time, picking out gifts for Gustus and trying on all of the silly hats and animal backpacks. Anya had two bags full of sealife merchandise and Lexa had spent the last ten minutes picking out the cutest stuffed animal to give to Clarke. She ended up with a fluffy penguin that had on a woolly hat and scarf...the brunette had hoped that he would get on nicely with Rocky the raccoon.

Lexa was already making plans to bring Clarke back to the Aquarium for a proper date. An Anyaless date.

Speaking of...

"Please tell me you guys haven't been in here the whole time?" Clarke chuckled at Anya's large bags of gifts and the turtle backpack she was currently trying out. "You do know there's adorable fishy things in there, right? Actual real life versions of all the adorable things you have in here." Clarke teased as she walked over to her girlfriend and kissed her gently on the lips. 

The blonde was all smiles and the sparkle in her eyes had once again replaced the fear that was there only a few hours ago. Clarke Griffin was back and as confident as ever.

"Clarke!" Lexa smiled brightly at seeing her girlfriend look so calm. Everything must've gone well, she thought to herself with massive relief. 

"Well you don't have any vomit stains on your clothes so that's a good sign." Anya joked as she walked over. "I guess your lunch went well then?"

Clarke took a deep breath then puffed it out in a chuckle. " It was..." The blonde struggled to find the right words. " the most surreal lunch of my life. Becca Franco..." she shook her head, still not fully able to believe what had just taken place. "I just had lunch with BECCA FRANCO!" Clarke screeched out a little too enthusiastically and loud enough to catch the attention of some people in the gift shop.

The Woods cousins looked around awkwardly and started to shuffle themselves and the blonde out of the building.

Once outside, Anya excused herself to give the girls a few moments of privacy and headed towards the car.

"Sooo... was it everything you dreamed it would be?" Lexa asked excitedly as she shoved her hands in her back pockets.

"Lex, it was..." The blonde shook her head and threw her arms around Lexa's neck. "The most amazing afternoon of my life! We talked about Martha and how she loved my drawing of her, we talked about my diner wall and how she can't wait to see it! I got to ask her all of my questions and told her which painting of hers is my favourite...we discussed it in so much detail and she told me what she was feeling when she painted it...she wants to meet me again Lex... she's going to help me pick which colleges have the best art programmes and wants to discuss the possibility of helping out at one of her galleries one day!" Clarke squealed while bouncing up and down, bringing her forehead down to rest on Lexa's.

"That's incredible Clarke! I'm so proud of you for rocking this meeting. I knew you could do it! I'm so not surprised that she wants to meet you again and help you in future things... you're so talented baby, she can see what the rest of us see." Lexa placed kisses against the inside of an arm that was around her neck and then lightly nosed over Clarke's. " You're special."

Clarke's eyes started to water with emotion as she looked deeply at her girlfriend. Fuck, how could anyone love someone _this_ much. "Lex." The blonde puffed out in a breath. "I still can't believe you did this for me. You made all of this happen and I just...thank you so much. I will never be able to explain how much today has meant to me and the fact it was you who made it possible..." Clarke shook her head. "I was a shaking mess and you held my hand and told me to breathe...you checked I was okay before you left and even gave me an 'out' if I couldn't get myself to go in there." A tear escaped the blondes eye which was quickly wiped away by Lexa's thumb. "The way you looked at me when I came back through the door...you looked so proud of me. God, your face lit up for me...Lex, I love you so much." The blonde whimpered out before kissing Lexa slowly and full of feeling.

After a few dopey moments of pure happiness, the kiss ended and Lexa tightly squeezed her girlfriend in her arms, placing light kisses down her nose. "I love you too Clarke. I knew you could do this and I'll never stop reminding you how special you are." 

"Stay." Clarke rushed out as their foreheads touched.

"Please stay with me tonight." Clarke whispered and glanced vulnerably into her girlfriends eyes, worried of rejection and hoping Lexa knew and could feel the meaning behind her words.

Lexa's eyes were fully focused on Clarke's lips. Something had changed in the air all of a sudden and it was making it hard for the brunette to breathe easily.

Clarke's eyes followed Lexa's down until she was also staring at soft, wanting lips. The evening was almost upon them and nothing felt more right than to be with Clarke tonight which is why Lexa took Clarke's trembling hand in her own and nodded confidently in agreement.

This was a special night for two special hearts.

* * *

_**The Griffin's** _

* * *

Neither girl had spoken much the entire journey back home.

The car was filled with heated tension and nervousness. If Anya had noticed, at least she hadn't brought it up. Luckily the car radio was playing songs from the 90's so the older Woods cousin was able to entertain herself by singing along.

Lexa held Clarke's hand tightly while looking out of her window at the beautiful scenery as it zoomed past. The brunette was far too nervous to look over at her girlfriend incase Clarke was feeling as worked up as she was and judging by the blondes nails, dragging lightly up and down her arm, she had a feeling she was making the right choice.

As the car pulled into the Griffin's, Lexa was so worked up that she almost made the same seatbelt error again but remembered to unbuckle just in time, much to Anya's amusement.

The car drove off as Clarke once again took Lexa's hand and led the way inside the house. Both girls shared soft meaningful glances at eachother as they slowly made their way up the stairs. The silence of the empty house, rung heavily in Lexa's ears. It seemed like the powers that be, really wanted Lexa to be fully aware that she was all alone with the love of her life.

The brunette had made it into Clarke's bedroom without even realising it. 

The blonde had kept the main bedroom light off and had turned on one single lamp that was on the nightstand. It was summer time so even though it was now the evening, it was still light outside but the sun was no longer beaming into the bedroom as it did through the morning.

Lexa, without thinking, made her way over to the window and pulled the curtains closed, calming the room and making both girls feel safer.

If the brunette had felt the tension in the car, it was nothing like the energy that was bouncing around the bedroom.... Lexa's heart had been sprinting ever since they left the aquarium and now she was slightly concerned that this would be her resting heart rate forever. Clarke was not helping in the slightest. She still hadn't spoken and was currently loosening the straps on her shoes while staring at the brunette with a look that Lexa had seen many times, usually as she was licking an ice cream cone...

That thought made Lexa gulp and turn to face the paintings on the wall. "Clarke, you're killing me." Lexa whined. Which was followed by a chuckle from Clarke and the sound of shoes, finally hitting the floor.

Lexa's breath hitched as two arms came and wrapped around her waist from behind, the blondes breath, tickling at her neck. "Sorry baby. I was just trying to work out if we were on the same page. I don't want you to feel pressured or like anything needs to happen toni-" 

Clarke was cut off immediately as Lexa swung round in the blondes arms and kissed her so deeply, she almost winded herself as she pushed Clarke into the wall that was just behind her.

Clarke moaned into Lexa's mouth and whined as the brunette pulled back ever so slightly to whisper. "I want you Clarke." The brunette somehow found confidence the moment she was in Clarke's arms and quickly started to kiss the blonde again, moaning herself as Clarke somehow forced her body even closer.

After a few moments of heavy, heated kisses, Clarke started to push Lexa backwards without breaking from her mouth. The second Lexa's legs hit the bed, Clarke broke the kiss and Lexa instinctively started kissing along the blondes neck. Clarke felt her knees going weak as Lexa's lips kept finding the most sensitive areas, tilting her head to give Lexa more access. 

Lexa pulled back and moved her hands to Clarke's cardigan and waited for Clarke's approval before throwing it to the floor. Her lips instantly reattached to her neck as Clarke's hand wrapped tightly in Lexa's hair, the other pulling at the back of Lexa's shirt to free it from her jeans.

"God Lex, that feels so good. Please keep going." Clarke mumbled out as her eyes closed. Lexa really wanted to pull the zip down on Clarke's dress, her hand had traveled there a couple of times already but the thought that she was going too fast, made her over think and pull back each time. Making Clarke uncomfortable was the last thing she -

"Lex, can you unzip me?" 

Lexa licked over her lips and cleared her throat. Damn her psychic powers. The brunette shook her thoughts away and quickly peeped over the blondes shoulder so she could see the zip and pulled it down so slowly as Clarke used that moment to plant soft kisses under Lexa's jaw.

She stepped back slightly and licked over her dry lips again as Clarke held eye contact and slowly started to peel down the thin navy material of her dress. Lexa's heart rate kicked up an extra notch as the black lacy material of the blondes bra came into view. Lexa's eyes were no longer on the blondes and who could really blame her?? 

The dress pooled around the blondes ankles and she sat down on the bed, looking up nervously at her girlfriend.

Lexa started to breathe heavier but managed to puff out a shaky "Clarke, you are stunning." before kicking her own shoes off and under the bed.

"Then come here." The blonde chuckled and took a hold of Lexa's hand, pulling her on top of herself. Lexa immediately laid her body down over Clarke's and started to kiss her slowly again as her warm hands traveled soothingly up and down Clarke's body. Soft moans filled the air around them as Lexa's kisses lowered over Clarke's cleavage. She was just moving on instinct, occasionally glancing up to check her girlfriends reactions. By the look on Clarke's face and her eyes tightly shut, Lexa figured it was going perfectly.

"Fuck Lexa." Clarke gasped out as Lexa's lips traveled closer to the edging on the blondes black lacy bra, her hand moved to cup Clarke's breast and squeezed gently as her tongue dipped out and slowly ran just below the material, lightly stroking a part of the aching nipple underneath. Clarke tried to squeeze her thighs together but Lexa was in-between her legs, stopping her from easing the throbbing that was building up inside. "How are you so good at this??" The blonde panted and started to squirm underneath, making Lexa smug and super proud of herself. "You're so beautiful Clarke, I'm just doing what feels natural." The brunette answered while continuing her line of kisses.

The blonde couldn't take it anymore. Lexa was wearing far too many clothes. Her hand started to move between their bodies as she reached for the belt on Lexa's jeans. She gave it a pull once it was undone and whispered next to Lexa's ear. "Is this okay?" The brunettes response came in a long swipe of her tongue against the blondes throat and a strong nod of the head against her shoulder.

"You drive me crazy, do you know that?" The blonde whispered against a heated ear as she finally loosened the jeans enough to pull them down. "You're all I think about." Her foot hooked at the bottom of the jeans and started to push them off of Lexa's legs with the brunettes help. "You're gorgeous and perfect and..are, Lex!" The blonde barked out a laugh all of a sudden, making Lexa lean back on her knees with a puzzled expression on her face.

Clarke grinned and bit her lip as she looked down at the bright blue Superman boxers that the brunette had on. God, she couldn't love the girl more...

Lexa rolled her eyes and mumbled. "It's not like I knew _this_ was going to happen tonight." She defended and gestured between the two of them. 

Clarke tried to keep a straight face. "Nooo I like them and here I was thinking that I was the only Clarke in the room...my mistake." The blonde teased and bit her lip.

"You are." Lexa assured and moved back down to kiss Clarke gently. "They're Supergirl boxers not Superman." The brunette lightly bit Clarke's earlobe and whispered "you're the only Clarke I see in _any_ room." The blondes body filled with butterflies as she pulled Lexa down, hard on top of her. 

The room was lost in love and careful touches. Clarke had slowly removed Lexa's shirt, and Clarke's bra came off moments after that. Lexa had maneuvered them both under the blankets of the bed to make sure that Clarke felt comfortable and safe as she slowly lowered herself down to kiss and suck on a nipple while her hand came up to take care of the other breast. Clarke was trembling all over the place while keeping a firm grip in Lexa's dark brown locks, her eyes remained closed as she gasped and moaned in pleasure from her girlfriends skilled mouth.

"God, Lexa...please." the blonde panted and found the confidence to take Lexa's hand down her body, pulling Lexa in for a passionate kiss as she moved the hand below the waistband of her underwear. Both girls froze and groaned into each others mouths at the sensation. Wet heat pooled instantly in both girls underwear. Lexa had to take a moment to breathe, the intensity making her feel dizzy as her fingers explored carefully through wet folds. Clarke tightened her grip in Lexa's hair, bringing her back down for long, deep kisses as Lexa explored her. The blonde really didn't think she'd last very long as her body was already eager to give everything over to Lexa.

Clarke wrapped her legs tightly around Lexa's waist and started to rock her hips into Lexa, arching slightly off of the bed as Lexa's thumb stroked over her throbbing clit at the same time two fingers carefully entered her. Lexa froze in her movements until Clarke kissed her again and begged her to keep moving.

Lexa was extremely careful and kept checking in with Clarke before upping the intensity and speed of her fingers while her girlfriends thighs tightened against her waist. "I love you Clarke." was whispered over and over, totally taking the 'I love you's' up to a, round 40 like she had expected, as Clarke slid her free hand down into the back of Lexa's boxers to grab and dig her nails desperately into the brunettes ass, her head pressing down into the pillows below, roughly.

Both girls started to uncontrollably grind into eachother as Clarke started to lose control of herself.

"Oh fuck, Lex I'm...I'm..oh God!!" Clarke gasped out, her nails digging down into Lexa's skin as her body tensed and released all over Lexa's fingers and unfortunately ruining her underwear...and definitely Lexa's too if she was being honest. 

The blonde fell limply backwards into the mattress as her chest continued to heave up and down. Her skin was shining in a thin layer of sweat and her cheeks were as flushed as her breasts that Lexa was of course still mesmerised by.

"That was..." Clarke breathlessly started before giving up.

"Round one?" Lexa smirked while removing her own clothes and helping Clarke out of her ruined underwear. " I'm pretty sure the nights still young, Miss Griffin." Lexa grinned and threw the blanket over her head as she shuffled down Clarke's body.

Clarke chuckled quietly and rolled her eyes. " You are such a nerd, Lexohhhhh God!!"

...Was not the final gasp to leave the blondes mouth that night...or _even_ the morning that followed...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> * Hides in a trashcan*  
> I am not a smut writer! I can't stress that enough lol. All you'll get from me is awkward fumblings between two loved up idiots! So I apologise...unless it did the trick then 👍 I meant to post this chapter just as new years hit so I could say we're starting the year with a 'bang' 😞 damn it! 
> 
> I hope you had a lovely quiet Christmas! Gotta be honest, the fact that this year wasn't surrounded with family, kinda made this Christmas wonderful for me lol. 
> 
> I got a really cool nightmare before Christmas music box that has pumpkins on it that light up! 😍😍😍 I'd ask what everyone's favourite gift was this year but I'm also interested in the really bizarre/ awful gift that you got this year, too!
> 
> Is there any one character that you specifically want to be in the next chapter? o.O anyone you haven't seen enough of and want more? Only one name if you can! 
> 
> I'm rambling, I know but it's 2021 and I haven't seen you since last year! 
> 
> Stay safe and sweet dreams 💖
> 
> Tumblr - hernightsky


	17. Say Cheese!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The morning after the night before. Raven wants details. Gustus and Jake talk Clexa and surfing. The Woods head over to the Griffin's for dinner. Abby takes care of something long over due.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've forgotten how to write smaller chapters. 😲

* * *

_**The Griffin's** _

* * *

The sun had started to seep through the curtains around 6am. Abby would likely be the first to return home, but she never returned before 8am, on the morning after a night shift. It was currently 6:37am and Clarke had just begun to stir from slumber. A beautiful, sleepy grin took over her face as she remembered the heart racing activities that went on till the early morning. The blonde was far too happy for someone who couldn't have had more than a few hours of sleep, but as she shuffled closer to the warmth of the body next to her and buried her face into softness close by, Clarke couldn't imagine being any happier than at this exact moment.

"You feel good." The blonde mumbled sleepily as she stroked her cheek against something comforting. 

"Hmm?" The sound of Lexa's voice seemed odd, like it was further away than it should be.

Clarke crinkled her face in confusion and buried her nose into Lexa's tickly hair. "Babe, you okay?"

"Of course Clarke, why wouldn't I be?" Lexa's voice was sleepy as she spoke. There was some shuffling going on in the distance and then suddenly Clarke felt like she'd just been punched in the face by a soft and squishy spacehopper. "What the hell?!" The blonde raised her head with a whine, wiping the sleep from her eyes as she took in the image Infront of her.

Clarke had mistakenly thought her new fluffy bedtime penguin was Lexa and had buried her face into him, instead of Lexa's hair as she had thought...Lexa must've forgotten that he was there too and had pushed the little guy into Clarke's face as she turned over in bed.

The blonde and brunette looked at eachother in confusion for a second before both girls burst out into fits of laughter. "Did you seriously think you were cuddling up to me?? Clarke, he's so small...and furry! Plus, I rarely wear a woolly hat to bed." The brunette teased as she took a hold of the penguin and placed him on her nightstand.

Clarke chuckled and rubbed over her face to ease the last of the remaining discomfort. "Fuck off. I was half asleep and replaying my favourite parts from last night." She grinned and Lexa's skin flushed lightly as she shyly smirked, herself. "I still can't believe you actually paid for my penguin." Clarke chuckled again and reached over Lexa, pressing her chest, teasingly into the brunette as she took her penguin off the nightstand and held it lovingly. "Becca said everything was free."

"It was _technically_ a date, Clarke. I couldn't let Becca pay for him." Lexa lifted a hand to mess with his little scarf. " I wanted to buy him for you." The brunette smiled dreamily at her girlfriend and shuffled closer in bed. "The shop assistant thought it was weird too...I can't believe I actually had to argue with the girl to get her to allow me to pay..." The brunette rolled her eyes in amusement. "Luckily Anya was there to free them of all their turtle merchandise." Both girls laughed. "I have no idea where she's going to put it all. I don't think she really thought it through." The younger Woods cousin shook her head and smiled at Anya's ridiculousness.

"It was the best day." Clarke thought out loud with a dreamy smile and then turned to the brunette and ran her thumb, lightly over Lexa's lips. "and the most incredible night." The blondes eyes filled with love and desire as she turned to lay herself down on top of Lexa's warm body, kissing the brunette slowly and tenderly while running a hand through her girlfriends messy dark locks as Lexa's hands wrapped around her waist. "I love you so much, Lex. Last night meant everything to me." The blonde closed her eyes for a moment while resting her forehead against Lexa's.

"It meant everything to me too Clarke." Lexa assured while lightly nosing her way over the blondes, soothingly. " _You_ mean everything to me and last night was so special... It was the best night of my life." The brunette whispered the last half with a dopey smile as she closed her eyes and savoured the moment.

A sudden beeping filled the quietness making both girls groan as Clarke's phone vibrated on the nightstand and ruined their peace. 

The blonde muttered a curse word under her breath and flung herself backwards onto the mattress, reaching over to grab her phone.

**From: Raven ( 6:45 )**

**Please tell me I caught you doing the naughty! 😈 Might wanna get sexy Lexy outta the house before Mama G gets home! Tell me everything! You owe me for clearing outta the house! O sings show tunes in her sleep!!! The crazy bitch wanted to do a duet! Anyways get moving...you might want to repeat that to Lexa...I'm sure your thighs muffled some of it out. X 🙋**

Clarke groaned pitifully, covering her eyes with her arm while showing the phone screen to her girlfriend. Raven Reyes...there was _nobody_ quite like that girl.

Lexa started to laugh through her instant shyness and buried her face into Clarke's neck. "Howww did she know??"

* * *

" Well it was pretty obvious actually." Raven started as she lay back on Clarke's pillows while scanning through one of the blondes artist magazines. "Once I knew that your girl was planning to surprise you with all romantic shit and dinner with a hot babe...there was _no way_ that you weren't gonna jump her bones so I decided to clear out for the night so you'd have the house to yourself. You're welcome by the way." The Latina grinned and tossed the magazine to the floor. "...I like Thai food and soft erotica novels if you're looking to repay me." She suggested with her usual Reyes smile.

The blonde chuckled, picking her magazine up off the floor and moving to sit at her desk so she could apply her makeup in the mirror.

It had been one hour since the house was full again and over three since Lexa had left the comfort of Clarke's warm bed and had gone home to face Anya's awkward looks and gentle teasing. The blonde felt bad for her girlfriend but at least she didn't have to deal with Raven's garbage mouth and personal questions.

"So how was it?? Who came first?? Is Lexa a bottom? She totally seems like one...what?? Don't look offended, you totally scream 'top'! Did you boss her around?? You so did! Oh my god, I love it!" Raven bounced up and down excitedly on the bed, working herself up _even_ without any discussion on Clarke's part.

"Oh my god Rae, stop! Clarke rolled her eyes and scolded, while looking at her friend through the mirror. "Shouldn't you be asking me, how my lunch with Becca went? Instead of being a creepy perv and asking for sex details."

"Oh please, like I'm not gonna hear all about the lunch when you finally get your ass downstairs and we're cornered by your parents....no thanks! I can only deal with hearing about paintbrushes and galleries once and then I need far more interesting topics to entertain me!" Raven paused and then started up again.

"Oh man, you cried didn't you..." The brunette started to laugh and roll closer to Clarke's chair. "Did Lexa?? I bet you both sobbed and whimpered 'I love you', over and over again.

While part of that was technically true and even though Clarke may have shed a tear or two as the love she felt, overwhelmed her... Raven freaking Reyes didn't need anymore encouragement. "Fuck off Rae. We're not total gay puddles. It was a perfect night and that's all you're getting from me." Clarke smirked through the mirror as Raven groaned into the duvet. 

"Thank you though...for clearing out." Clarke added as an after thought.

"No worries Griff! You know me...always happy to help a friend get off." The Latina wiggled her eyebrows suggestively.

" Speaking of... You realise you're rolling around in our sex sheets, right?"

Raven's head quickly bolted out of the duvet as she practically threw herself off of the bed and onto the floor with a squeal.

The blonde laughed and looked at her friend smugly before turning back round to apply eyeliner. "That'll teach ya to perv."

* * *

_**The Pier** _

* * *

Gustus groaned and muttered at his achy joints as he climbed his way up the stairs that led to the bait shop. The older guy took a breath and stretched out his poor legs as soon as he found himself on the wooden platform. His grumblings and moaning were loud enough to flow through the open door of the shop, letting Jake know of a customers presence. 

Mr Griffin popped his head out of the door and looked at Gustus who was rubbing at his left knee with a grumpy expression on his face. "Sorry, we don't sell fancy new joints here. Only surf and fishing equipment!" Jake smiled cheekily and moved to lean against the doorframe.

Gustus laughed gruffly without looking up. "Half way up those stairs, I wasn't sure what was creaking louder out of the metal steps and my knee caps." Gus stretched himself back up and shook his legs out before walking closer to the doorway. "Old age is a cruel mistress, you'll soon see, matey." The bulky man patted the shop owner on the back with a heavy hand.

"Hey!" Jake gasped in faux offence. "I'll have you know I have...what? Maybe three or four good years before I reach your age??" He scrunched his eyebrows up as he thought about that statement. "Oh well! We're both young at heart and that's all that matters." Jake assured with a nod then moved out of the doorway to let his customer inside.

"What will it be today? More bait? I had a fresh delivery this morning and when I say morning I mean... 4am, I was up and awake before the birds! Actually if Im honest, I barely slept last night. I decided it would be easier to just sleep in here, seeing as I'd have to get up early."

"Ouch...that doesn't sound too comfortable. No wonder you were awake most of the night. Old bones need a comfy mattress Jake, I'm telling ya!" Gustus turned his back to Mr Griffin as his eyes caught sight of some new surfboards that were leaning against the wall behind the cash register.

"True...but that wasn't why I couldn't sleep." Jake scratched the back of his neck awkwardly. "It erm...gets spooky here after dark. My ears were attuned to every single creak and thump through the night." He shook his head at his own daftness. "Luckily Clarke inherited her bravery from her mother.

Gustus laughed. "She is a strong one, that girl of yours." His fingers absentmindedly ran over the packs of surf wax that were on the shelf as his eyes remained on the boards at the back.

Jake followed his gaze and beamed happily. "You a fellow surfer Gus??"

It took a few seconds before Gustus' brain kicked back in. "Hm? Oh!" He laughed as if the very idea was ridiculous. "Me?? No...I don't think floating and this body go together, do you?" He gestured to himself and laughed again. 

Jake could see the 'want' behind the laughter and smiled gently. "Well that's a shame, I still need to test out those boards at the back and I could use a friends opinion...Maybe I can teach you the basics one morning while the oceans still clear and we can grab a bite afterwards? He offered casually, not wanting to make a big deal of it incase Gustus felt uncomfortable.

"That sounds...sure, um...we could try that yes." The older man's eyes sparkled at the idea...with nobody about to make fun of him, there was no reason he shouldn't try something that had intrigued him for the last month! "Wait. Did you say you stayed here last night? Was your wife at home?" Gustus' eyebrow raised as he has a sudden thought.

"Nope, Abby's been working nights at the hospital all week. Why?" Jake tilted his head and leaned back against the counter.

Gustus looked up towards the roof of the shop and took a slightly miffed breath. "I see." He nodded once. "Lexa stayed over with Clarke last night...it was implied that there would be other people in the house with them." Gustus sighed.

"Oh, well they're both sensible girls and old enough not to burn the house down, I'm sure we can let them off for....oh....OH!!...Oh wow...okay." Jake cleared his throat awkwardly as his innocent brain finally caught up to what Gustus was getting at. He scratched the back of his neck again and darted his eyes away from Gustus whose ears were turning a lovely shade of red. 

Both guys stood quietly for a few moments before Jake broke the silence in a super weird tone of voice that would've made Gus laugh under different circumstances. "Heeeey! So it's probably time for a Griffin/Woods dinner, don't you think? How about this weekend?? I'm sure Abby would love that and Clarke will just be happy to be with Lexa." Jake's eyes darted up. "Not be with her like _be_ with her... There will be no _being_ of any kind!" Mr Griffin flustered and paced the room a little.

Gustus' hands went up in a 'please stop' motion. "Dinner would be lovely. Thank you. I'll tell my girls." Gus smiled and cleared his throat before walking over to the bait tubs to get what he originally came in for.

Jake nodded frantically even though Gustus had his back towards him. 

Dinner at the Griffin's.... How awkward could that be? 

* * *

_**The Griffin's** _

* * *

Saturday evening arrived in a flash and while having a family dinner at the Griffin's would normally turn Lexa into a panicking mess, tonight she was feeling oddly calm and ready for the dinner. She was as always, extremely excited to see her girlfriend and had already texted her a generous amount since leaving the Griffin house earlier this morning. Anya always tried to be on her best behaviour when she was around adults and seeing as this would be the first time that she was properly spending time with the Griffin's, Lexa knew that she didn't need to worry about her cousins swearing or rude jokes.

It was a casual dinner with new friends that the Woods felt very comfortable with so nobody felt the pressure to dress up. Gustus even going as far as to wear a blue Hawaiian shirt with brown shorts and sandals. Lexa and Anya had both decided on blue jeans. Lexa wore an open black and white checked flannel over a white vest top and Anya had on a gorgeous long white shirt that hung off one shoulder and flowed longer over her jeans on the opposite side.

They were almost at the house when Gustus stopped in his tracks to laugh at Marcus the gnome who was almost wearing the exact same outfit as him.

"Oh girls! Come over here, I need a picture taken with my long lost twin!" Gustus smiled cheerily and slung his arm around Marcus' shoulder while carefully avoiding the fishing rod that was placed in the gnomes hand. 

Both girls smiled in amusement, Lexa taking her phone out of her pocket to snap a few photos of her uncle who was posing with goofy expressions on his face.

There were more sounds of male laughter coming from the distance and a holla of "Oh no! Now there's two of you! Quick! Somebody turn off the cloning machine!" 

All eyes turned to the Griffin's porch where Jake was leaning on the railings with his usual cheeky grin in place. Lexa smiled and walked on ahead as Gustus chuckled from behind, giving Anya a playful nudge as they all made their way up the sandy path to the Griffin's porch and greeted Mr Griffin with waves and a handshake from Gus.

"You walked here??" Jake asked in shock while also looking impressed. " I always suggest to Abby that we should walk home more... luckily she adamantly refuses. I only suggest it for that reason." Jake smiled and winked at Lexa who chuckled and casually glanced passed the man to see if she could spot any signs of Clarke.

"Tell me about it!" Anya complained with a sulk. "I wanted to drive here but apparently exercise is good for you." The older Woods cousin rolled her eyes at Lexa because it was her fault that they took the walk of death again. 

"Ah, don't believe any of that nonsense Anya! The world needs people like us to keep pizza delivery companies in business!" Jake put his fist out towards Anya who instantly bumped it with hers.

"I knew you and I would get along Mr Griffin." Anya nodded as if Jake was her new Yoda.

"We'll get along alot more if you call me Jake." He shook his head at Gustus in a joking scolding way. " You've trained your girls too well. They should be more loud and less polite, like my girls!"

"Hey!" Clarke huffed in offence as she appeared from behind the man and glared at her dad while folding her arms in a sulk. 

"Uh oh." Jake startled and quickly pulled Lexa Infront of him who stumbled a little then shot her girlfriend a dopey grin.

Clarke melted inside and couldn't control the little smile that broke out on to her face before quickly turning back to her father with a gentle scowl. "Using my girlfriend as a shield? Smart move, old man." The blonde carefully took a hold of Lexa's hand and pulled her closer, placing a light kiss on her cheek.

"Every man for himself." Jake shrugged. "How about we get these lovely people inside before the seagulls get em." Mr Griffin led the way into the house, followed by Gustus and Anya. 

Clarke kept a hold of Lexa's hand to stop her from walking away and turned her girlfriend suddenly, making the brunette stumble into Clarke's body as she now faced the blonde, with the cutest confused frown. Clarke chuckled quietly and smiled lovingly. "Hey you."

Lexa smiled and answered her girlfriend with a slow kiss.

"Erugh! Clexa are already at it." Raven grimaced as she watched the loved up couple from the living room window. 

Jake laughed at the Latina as he opened the door that led into the living room, gesturing for his guests to walk through. "Clexa... doesn't that make us Jabby?" He turned towards his wife. "I'm not sure if I find that adorable or ridiculous."

"Try both." Abby smiled and stood to welcome the guests. "Gustus. It's lovely to see you." she pulled the big guy in to a hug and took a good look at Anya over his shoulder. "Anya you look gorgeous. It was probably a good idea that you all walked here... you Woods women could stop traffic!" Abby complimented as she pulled back from the hug with a warm smile.

"Hey! I'm quite the traffic stopper myself thank you very much." Gustus huffed in pretend offence. 

"Well that's because there have been reports of a yeti on the loose." Jake teased his friend and winked as Gustus threw a scowl his way.

Anya laughed at their playful banter and thanked Abby for her kind words. She was just about to go and break up the smoochfest on the porch when she caught Raven ogling her in her typical Reyes way. The older Woods cousin made her way over to the girl as her dad caught up with all of the latest beach gossip. 

"You know you could made it a lot less obvious? Drooling onto the windowsill isn't the best look out there." Anya deadpanned, allowing a tiny smirk to come through.

Raven's eyes lit up with mischief, flashing her gorgeous white teeth as she smiled brightly. " Why would I want to hide my attraction cheekbones? You were kind enough to dress like a goddess...I have to do my bit to show appreciation." The Latina bit her lip and allowed her eyes to travel slowly down Anya's body.

The older Woods cousin rolled her eyes and folded her arms over her chest to cover up any signs of embarrassment and lightly kicked Raven's foot with her own. 

"I assume things are going well here? You're settled in." Anya asked, trying to change the subject. "Do you see much of your mom?"

Raven's smile settled into more of a serious face as the subject changed. " Things are all good." She assured with a single nod. "The Griff's treat me like one of their own. Home cooked meals and lively discussions... plus it's always nice to know there's a loving family waiting for me at the end of the night. I've dropped by a few times to see my mom but..." She shrugged casually. "She's trying her best, I guess." Raven thought for a moment then looked at Anya with a brow raised in question. "Why do you ask?"

Anya shrugged defensively and leaned against the wall. "No reason. Just touching base." The older Woods cousin refused to show any signs of caring for the girl.

Raven straighten up at that and _there_ was that Reyes suggestive smirk. " Oh yeah?" She moved over to Anya and leaned in close enough to whisper. " What other bases would you like to touch?"

Anya almost choked on her tongue. The brunette quickly scanned her brain for a suitable comeback and came up empty. Luckily for her, the moment was ruined by Clarke and Lexa, stumbling through the door in fits of giggles as they tried to maneuver their way through the narrow hallway without letting go of eachother.

All eyes turned towards them, leaving both girls quiet with reddening cheeks. 

"That must've been some trek from the porch to the house..." Jake teased as he looked at his watch to imply the length of time it took the girls to enter the house. "How about you make yourself useful and go set the dining table." 

Clarke bit her lip to stop the smirk breaking out on her face and gave a quick nod before grabbing Lexa's hand again and walking them back into the hall at a brisk pace.

"Oh wait up! I want to help with the seating arrangements!" Raven called as she quickly followed, throwing a wink in Anya's direction as she left the room.

Anya shook her head in disbelief while her dad was too busy looking at Jake's surfing trophies to be paying attention.

As expected, Raven had set Anya's place, right next to hers. Clarke and Lexa sat opposite them. Jake and Gustus took the ends of the table and Abby sat in-between Anya and Gus. The extra chair next to Lexa was being used by the fluffy stuffed penguin that Lexa had bought from the aquarium... Clarke had wanted a full dinner table. The beaming smile on her girlfriends face as she saw him sitting there...well, that didn't hurt either.

Abby had spent the day cooking up all of her favourite family recipes and shooing away her husband everytime he came into the kitchen to help ...his help mostly involved getting underfoot and stealing cut up vegetable slices.

The table was full of different foods and beverages and honestly looked like a smaller version of the Hogwarts feasts that were held in the great hall. All of the Woods family were overwhelmed by the sight at first but it didn't take long for them to be reaching over everyone to grab the bowl of mashed potatoes, turkey legs and bread rolls. 

No food was ever wasted when the Woods family were around.

" If I'm honest, I still can't believe it happened." Clarke shook her head and thought off into the distance as her fork full of food waited patiently to be eaten.

The table had been talking about Clarke's lunch with Becca for the last half an hour. Lexa had blushed at least four times since then as Clarke kept thanking her and throwing smiles her way each time someone at the table wanted extra details on how she managed to get everything planned. Anya of course made sure they all knew that she was the genius that put it all together.

"It all sounds like a wonderful dream." Abby added. "but it really happened, baby. I'm so pleased for you and I'm so pleased for us too, now that she's offering her help with picking the right college." She sighed in relief. " You know your father and I are clueless about art. We would be no help at all."

Clarke chuckled and smiled at Lexa as the brunette gave the hand that she was holding under the table a gentle squeeze.

"Lexa, have you given any thought to what you want to study at college yet?" Jake asked around a mouthful of peas.

Lexa looked up and stiffened a little. "Oh, um." She cleared her throat, her voice coming out a lot quieter and shakier than she'd hoped. "I'm ...I'm not really sure what I'm going to do yet." Her eyes darted away from everyone around the table as she focused on her plate. Clarke ran her thumb soothingly over her knuckles and tried to take the attention off of Lexa by flinging a couple of peas off her fork at Raven with a big cheesy grin.

Her friend quickly caught on to what Clarke was trying to do and decided to help by being dramatic...Raven started to pretend to choke and made coughing noises as she hit the table with her fist. "Grifffff you got me! I'm dyingggg." She put on her best husky voice as she spoke. "Quick Anya, one last kiss before I go?!?" The Latina puckered up and waited.

The teenagers (and Jake) laughed at Raven's antics while Abby lightly scolded the girl with her eyes for making the doctor panic for a second. Anya tilted her head back to the ceiling as she prayed for the strength not to choke the girl for real and settled for nudging her as she went to take her next mouthful, so that the food hit her chin instead.

Money was not the issue when it came to college, Lexa's parents had left a decent sum of money for Lexa to receive when she turns eighteen and the money Gustus received from his sister's will, had been safely set aside to take care of Lexa's college funds. In his eyes, the money belonged to Lexa and putting it aside for her future was the best way he could think of to honour his sister.

The problem was...Lexa hadn't really thought that far ahead. Losing her parents had been the only thing consuming her thoughts for the last six months. She hated school before then and starting up in college was the furthest thing from her mind. Lexa had most of a month of summer break left and she was determined to focus all of her energy and time on enjoying that with her beautiful girlfriend. Nothing else mattered right now.

"We're pretty much just trying to get through this next year." Gustus explained quietly to the table. "College and the future can fit in around that." He winked and smiled at Lexa who nodded a little, giving her uncle a smaller smile of thanks.

"Quite right." Abby joined in and gave Lexa a warm motherly look that was usually saved for Clarke and Raven. "Did you girls enjoy yourself last night?" Mrs Griffin then threw in, out of know where. 

The whole table fell silent as awkward glances were exchanged between the two men. Lexa's ears matched the same shade of Clarke's cheeks and Anya was trying her best not to laugh.

Abby looked up from her plate at the silence and raised a brow in confusion as she looked around all of the uncomfortable faces. "What? You girls didn't celebrate once you got back? That's not like you, Clarke. You usually need no excuse to throw a party when Jake and I are away for the night."

Clarke opened her mouth to speak but words struggled to form. "Ohh..um.. I" her eyes met Raven's over the table, begging to be saved.

"Oh yeah! We had a great night...I mean every night that involves me, is a great night am I right, mama G?" Raven plopped her head down on Abby's shoulder and grinned up at her, batting her eyelashes.

Abby shook her head in amusement and placed a light kiss on Raven's forehead. "Of course sweetie, you keep things interesting, that's for sure!" 

Raven lifted her head back up and nodded in agreement. " Yeah, once I got Griff to shut up about her Becca adventures, we ordered pizza and watched movies in Clarke's room all night." Raven lied easily. " I tried to cuddle up to Lexa but I ended up with Clarke's foot in my face." She chuckled, shoving some mashed potato into her mouth as she glanced at both Clarke and Lexa who were nodding along with forced, over the top smiles.

"Oh that's lovely honey, what a perfect way to end your wonderful day." Abby smiled happily at Clarke who agreed with another nod of the head and silently thanked the powers that be for the wonder that was Raven Reyes.

Anya might not have bought that story but Gustus and Jake sure looked relieved as they both seemed to relax after that moment of awkwardness.

Raven ducked under the table to retrieve her napkin that had slipped away from her, around the same time that she had the fork fight with Clarke for the last cocktail sausage. She took the moment while she was under there to lightly tickle Anya's bare ankle that was peeping out from under her jeans, making Anya squeak and bolt up in her seat.

"Raven, whatever you're doing under there, stop it and come and help me with dessert." Abby lightly scolded as she stood from the table and cleared a few of the empty plates.

Raven laughed quietly as she climbed her way back up and winked at an unamused Anya as she picked up a few more empty plates. "Coming mama G! I'll be on my best behaviour from now on." She promised and started to follow Abby into the kitchen. " and I won't _even_ embarrass Clexa by telling everyone that they're holding hands under the table." She raised her voice from inside the kitchen.

The Latina smiled to herself as she heard Anya laughing in the dining room and then put on her most innocent expression and shrugged when Abby was looking at her the same way a person looks at a puppy who had just chewed up a slipper.

Worth it.

* * *

After the food had settled in everyone's tummies and the get together had moved into the living room, it was decided that a board game was in order and not just any board game... Trivial Pursuit!

Clarke had groaned when that game was chosen and complained that the questions were too difficult but once Raven had reminded her that she was a demon with the dice, the blonde perked up a bit and prayed her team would land on a lot of 'free go's' and entertainment questions.

"Okay so let's pick teams...one team will have to have three people in it." Jake decided after doing a head count.

"Pfft! Please." Raven scoffed. "I love you all but I don't need anyone slowing me down. I'll take you guys on, all by myself." The brunette smiled cockily as she started setting up the board.

Jake chuckled. "When I grow up, I want to be as confident as Raven! Okay, so who wants to destroy the competition with me?" He asked brightly, scanning the room.

"I will!" Anya raised her hand and casually took the seat next to Jake on the couch.

"Go Team Janya!" Jake put his fist out again and it was immediately bumped by the older Woods cousin.

Clarke turned around on her spot on the floor and faced Gustus who was sat on the armchair behind her. "Gus you probably know sport, right? I'm alright with arts and literature. Let's team up and blag our way through." The blonde chuckled.

Gustus let out his own deep chuckle and placed both hands on Clarke's shoulders, giving them a squeeze. "It would be my pleasure miss Griffin."

"Hey!" Abby laughed in disbelief and offence. "I _am_ a doctor you all realise?? I might know some things!"

Lexa smiled and crawled her way along the floor until she was sitting close to Abby's chair. "Don't worry Mrs Griffin, I'm no fool, you were always going to be my first choice." Lexa assured with a kind smile and truly meant it.

Abby melted and cupped Lexa's chin, running her thumb over the girls jaw softly. "Thank you sweetie, I like you better than the rest of these losers anyway!"

Clarke looked up from the board and frowned at her mom. 

Abby put on her best diva with attitude and snapped her fingers. "I said what I said."

The room broke out into laughter.

40 minutes in and Raven had taken an early lead with two wedges already collected. The brunette surprised everyone by answer a rugby question right and winning her sports wedge first. _(" What?? I can't be the only one who browses the sport section for the hotties in tight shorts??")_ She then went on to win her entertainment question which received a sulky mumble from Clarke. _("Obviously it was Shakira! Why didn't we get that question?!")_

Lexa and Abby had their science and nature wedge and Gustus and Clarke had their sports wedge taken care of too... Team Janya were ...in Clarke's words.. 'sucking major ass.' Neither were taking the game too seriously after they saw how much fun it was to heckle everybody else and especially Clarke who Jake had never realised, was so competitive before.

"Yeah!!! Eat dirt Reyes!" Clarke stuck her tongue out at her friend and high fived Gustus as they answered a geography question correctly. "Comeee on little dotty guys, mama needs a two." The blondes tongue peeked out again as she concentrated on rolling the dice.

"Quiet everyone, Clarke needs a number two." Raven tried to keep a straight face but it wasn't long before she was grinning like an idiot at her own joke.

Clarke was not amused and paused to send her friend the evils.

"Behave over there." Abby raised a brow in warning but it was unclear whether it was aimed at Raven or her husband who was giggling behind Anya's shoulder.

"You got this Clarke." Lexa smiled lovingly until she felt a tapping on her shoulder. The brunette tilted her head backwards to look at Abby. "You're not supposed to be _cheering on_ another team missy." Mrs Griffin smiled in amusement as she looked down at her team mate.

"Oh..oh right! Um...I hope you get a three!" Lexa tossed at her girlfriend with a cute frown.

The blonde chuckled and melted harder for the girl across from her. "Thanks babe, appreciate it." She tossed back, sarcastically.

The dice rolled along the board and landed on a single dot. Clarke sighed then took a closer look at her options. "Oh oh oh! Free turn!" She bounced happily as Gustus cheered her on in support. The dice then landed on a two. "Ohhh now you give me a two?? That's some bullsh..ohhhh free turn on the other side!!" The blondes tongue peeked out again as she slid her teams colour over two squares. "Right dice...just give me another _one,_ damn it." Clarke held the dice tightly and shut her eyes as she blew on it."

Raven laughed. "You're so dramatic Griff."

"Shut it Rae." Clarke huffed before opening her eyes and rolling the dice. Team Glarke were in luck this time as the dice landed on one dot. "Yes!!! Okay come on Gus we can do this! It's the entertainment category!" Clarke shushed everyone down even though she was the only one speaking.

Lexa took the question card and cleared her throat. "Okay this is for the pink cheese so I'm going to want the exact answer that is on the card." Lexa informed like a professional quiz show host. "On g-"

"Wait, what??" Clarke's brows furrowed as she cut her girlfriend off. "What the heck are you talking about...pink cheese??"

Lexa looked back at Clarke with her own puzzled expression then turned to Anya who shrugged as she also had no idea what the problem was. "This thing." Lexa picked up a pink triangle out of the box. "The cheese wedge."

Clarke barked out a laugh along with Raven as Abby took the triangle out of Lexa's hand. "Honey, this is a piece of pie, not cheese. We're filling in sections of a pie." Abby informed, passing the wedge back to Lexa.

"Nuh huh! It's a triangle of cheese." Anya jumped in and looked at her dad who nodded in agreement.

"That's crazy! They're colourful flavours of pie. When have you ever seen brown cheese?" Raven sassed Anya from her spot on the floor.

"When you cook it too long and it burns, smartie pants." Lexa came to her cousins rescue.

"Girls come on, Clarke and I have a nice pink _cheese_ to win." Gustus smirked and everyone started on the debate again until the doorbell rang.

Jake stood and made his way in to the hallway as the rest of the group continued with their debate, the father found himself laughing as he heard Raven's very distinct voice shout out "You're insane! Who picks mouldy cheese instead of blueberry pie?!"

He opened the door and the happiness on his face, quickly fell away as Nia stood there in her overly expensive business suit, holding her cell phone in one hand and looking very impatient, like she was being put out with all of this waiting around.

"Oh! Um...hello Nia." Jake cleared his throat and tried his best to sound happy to see the woman. " Did we have plans tonight? My old brains not what it used to be." He joked as he was very certain he'd remember if Abby had mentioned that Nia was dropping by... he'd also have made damn sure to be hiding out in the bait shop if he had warning so maybe Abby kept it to herself? Jake sighed to himself as he welcomed the woman inside.

"Don't worry yourself Jake, stress is no good for the hair line." Nia smirked to herself as she walked straight past Jake and further into the hall. " My meeting ran late and then my car broke down not far from here so I thought I'd wait at my dear sisters until my driver can take me home and I can put this miserable excuse of a day to rest." The older woman complained as she shoved her coat at Jake and started to walk away before he had chance to speak again.

The poor guy turned to look at the front door with a sad puppy expression. Freedom was so close and yet so far...

Once he had returned to the living room, Nia was busy explaining her situation to the room of seated people. The fact that she was the only one standing, made her seem even more threatening and powerful as she towered over everyone. The Woods politely stayed quiet and tried their best not to hold eye contact with the woman out of fear that she'd start up a conversation with them. 

"So anyway, that's why I'm here. I didn't realise you had... _company._ " the last word was emphasized as she blatantly made her opinion known about the Griffin's choice of guests. Nia also made sure they noticed the sneer she gave their appearance as she scanned over their choice of clothes. "Perhaps I should've called first but I mustn't be blamed....you both aren't usually the social type." She quietly tittered in amusement as she spoke to her sister and brother-in-law. Both chose that moment to take a big gulp of wine to stop themselves snapping at the woman.

"Yeah, so anyway." Raven cleared her throat and tried to ease the tense atmosphere. "maybe we should get back to the game. I'm close to a yellow triangle...or lemon meringue pie piece." The brunette raised a challenging brow at Lexa with a gentle smile thrown in to show she was only teasing and Lexa smiled back with a shake of the head.

"Hey, I still haven't answered my entertainment question yet!." Clarke frowned from her spot on the floor but Nia was now fully focused on the Latina who dared to speak up first.

" I assume _you_ are the girl my sister kindly took in." Nia stated more than asked. The woman had a vague recollection of the girl being one of Clarke's school friends that she had seen in passing at a few Griffin birthday parties.

"That would be me, yeah." Raven spoke confidently and held eye contact. "I mean, we _have_ met on a few occasions but I don't hold it against you for not remembering." She put on a fake smile that showed far too many teeth. 

"Yes, well..." Nia gave the girl a tight smile in return. "I'm sure it's my loss." She smiled again to fit her sarcasm.

Raven mumbled. "You're damn right it is." Under her breath and received an elbow jab from Clarke.

"Feel free to continue with your little game! I don't wish to be a bother, I'll just relax in the dining room with a cup of coffee...or maybe some wine...if you have..?"

"Sorry, this was the last bottle." Abby quickly spoke up and held her half empty glass up as she shook her head with a faux shrug of regret.

"Oh right...okay, coffee it is." Nia nodded in disappointment and hovered about for a moment to see if anyone would offer to make it for her. The older woman looked around the room to see all eyes averted as everyone suddenly seemed very focused on the boardgame. Nia huffed in annoyance as the room fell silent and made her way into the kitchen.

As soon as it was safe to breathe again, Abby turned towards her husband and whispered. "You hid the rest of the wine behind the cereal, right?"

Jake winked and put his thumb up like a cool dude and the game continued once more.

"So...Clarke. For the pink _cheese."_ Lexa emphasized the last word while grinning to herself as she looked at the card. "On Game of thrones. Who defeated the Night King?"

"Woah!! Wait wait wait!" Anya screeched as she quickly held two cushions against her ears.

"Really??" Clarke raised her brow then turned to her girlfriend. "I thought you said you finished the box set?"

"I did!" Lexa defended. "We stopped watching it together after the very first episode because it was super uncomfortable." Her ears dusted a little pinker as she thought of a very specific scene.

The blonde chuckled and crawled along the floor to whisper her answer into Lexa's warm ear and gave it a little kiss before moving back to her seat.

Lexa gulped down her nervous butterflies and stuttered. "Um.. yea..yes. correct answer Clarke."

Clarke bounced happily on her spot and high fived Gustus before placing her new shiny pink pie piece into its spot.

The game continued for what felt like hours and by the time Raven had all of her pieces and was ready to head to the center of the board, both team Labby and team Glarke were close on her tail with only one wedge missing. Team Janya were trailing behind with only three wedges in place but neither were bothered and were both enjoying the smack talk and feisty banter that was coming from the teams in second place.

"Lexa honey, forget about the pretty blonde sitting across from you and focus on rolling us a five." Abby rubbed Lexa's shoulders as she peeked around the girl to see the game board.

Lexa nodded in agreement and tried to concentrate as she shook the dice but her damn heart was a loved up fool and couldn't resist a tiny glance at the seductress sitting across from her.

Clarke bit her lip and put on her best bedroom eyes the second she caught Lexa's gaze, she ran a hand through her wavy blonde locks and rested back on her other hand as she undressed the brunette with her eyes.

Balls. Lexa was in trouble....her eyes refused to look away and her dice throwing hand was starting to feel numb. Clarke was a godde- 

"Ummpt! What the hell mom?!" Clarke had hit the carpet with a thud and was laughing in shock as she tried to sort the mess of her hair out from the sudden impact of a flying cushion that had hit her right in the face.

The room filled with laughter and Clarke's hair was now ruined for the rest of the night, the scowl aimed towards her mother, crumbled easily as the blonde couldn't help but laugh along with everyone else. Abby finally got a hold of herself and wiped the tears from her eyes. "I'm sorry baby but you were breaking my team mate and we're this close to beating Raven." Abby smiled apologetically at her daughter.

The Latina snorted in amusement. "Sorry mama G, I just need to roll a six and you guys need to answer a sports question right." She smirked at the very idea. "You might as well just start congratulating me now!" 

"We'll see about that missy." Abby was now determined and quickly took the dice from Lexa's hand and tossed it over the brunettes shoulder at the gameboard. The three girls who were sat on the floor, all looked at eachother with their mouths dropped open as the dice landed on lucky number five, leaving Abby looking smug and cocky.

"What sorcery is this! " Raven gasped and studied the dice for any signs of trickery. "Okay, whatever. You still need to answer the sport question right! Gustus, make it a good one!" Raven ordered as she started to nibble on the leftover bowls of chips that were placed on a table between Gustus and Jake.

Gustus cleared his throat and squinted at the tiny writing on the card. "Oh! It's a home question...I wouldn't count them out just yet!" Gustus informed Raven who remained confident in their lack of sport knowledge.

" Fans of Polis Tigers and Polaris Piranhas made worldwide news in 2008 for the destruction of the glass stadium that had opened earlier the same year. What was their conflict about? 

Lexa bolted up in her seat. "Oh!..." She stared off into the distance and tried to pull the answer out of the farthest depths of her mind. "Oh crap...I read about that..." The brunette took over the Winnie the Pooh thinking pose as Abby nervously bit her fingernails.

"Times a tickin' sexy Lexy." Raven tapped on the scribbled picture of a watch that she had just drawn on her arm.

"Give her a moment" Clarke scowled at her friend.

"Oh!" Lexa excitedly tapped on Abby's foot as she remembered. " Polis and Polaris wear the exact same colours so fans turned up in their favourite teams kits, not realising one of the teams had to wear different colours for that match...then a fight broke out because neither team thought it should be their team." Lexa chuckled. "Fans started beating up their fellow supporters because they were confused by the kits so everyone just attacked eachother."

"That is correct!" Gustus smiled proudly at his niece while everyone apart from Raven cheered and clapped their support for Lexa who was grinning like an idiot and getting ready to roll a six, so that her team could beat the almighty Reyes.

"You got this babe, knock that pesky pain in the ass out!" Clarke encouraged and threw a wink at Raven who was sulking like a toddler and hoarding the chip bowls.

Lexa went to roll the dice before stopping herself and handing it back to Abby. "More sorcery, please."

Abby smiled and kissed the dice before rolling it hard, along the gameboard.

"Oh come on!!!" Raven collapsed dramatically against the carpet as a six landed just Infront of her.

Jake and Gustus both expressed their wish to take Abby to Las Vegas so they could put her money making skills to good use as Raven muttered something as she shuffled the remaining cards around in her hands.

"Let's try them out on a history question." Anya suggested before managing to steal a chip from one of the bowls before Raven's hand could swat her away.

Everyone was in agreement and it turned out to be a huge mistake as it also turned out to be a medical question that Abby answered instantly. 

"What the hell???? Why wasn't that shoved in the science and nature section?!" Raven whinged as she threw the pile of question cards on the floor in a huff.

" Because it was a medical procedure from the Victorian era." Lexa grinned while tidying up the mess that Raven had made. 

"No. I refuse to lose like this! I demand to ask a new question!" Raven racked her brain and then came up with the perfect question. "...what are the Piranhas and the Tigers teams colours??" Raven challenging, folding her arms tightly against her chest.

"Oh come on." Clarke scoffed at her friends ridiculousness.

"No. I wanna know!" Raven insisted while leaning back against Jake's legs.

Lexa was just about to argue when her eyes caught sight of Jake who was trying to mouth her the correct answer. The brunette casually looked away to make it less obvious that she was looking behind Raven and then glanced at Jake again when Raven was distracted.

"I mean, if I had to guess..." Lexa breathed out and shook her head as she pretended to pull two random colours out of her mind.

"I'd have to go for... light blue and maroon..."

Raven's eyes locked onto Lexa's and her mouth dropped open in confusion as the rest of the room broke out into laughter.

Nia walked back in at that moment and ended the happy mood of the room in an instant. "Abby, your coffee has a strange taste to it, was it on sale by any chance?" The older woman looked into her cup with disgust and then sat across from the group as Abby stood with a sigh of frustration.

" I'll see what else we have." She muttered as she walked passed her sister.

"I wouldn't say no to some cake either." Nia smiled as Abby walked away and then threw over her shoulder as an after thought. "Nothing homemade though!" She turned to the group. "Not that there's anything wrong with your interesting take on baking, Jake." she added with the same nasty smirk her daughter was famous for.

Jake let out an old man groan as he lifted himself from the couch and walked in the same direction that his wife had gone. " I would never offer you something that these old hands have made." He smiled in assurance and then muttered quietly as he reached the door. "They're saved for people I like."

* * *

It had been a nice, peaceful quarter of an hour hidden in the kitchen for the Griffin parents as they took their time getting Nia's demands perfect. Jake was sitting at the table, lightly patting his hair now that Nia had made him self conscious and Abby was sipping from her fourth glass of wine. It was a bad idea really... the alcohol was starting to kick in and making the thought of punching her sister out far too tempting. Every little sneer and jab at her families expense was a notch closer to Abby blowing up. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes to control her urges.

"Well...she's a terrifying woman." Lexa stated as she poked her head around the door at the same time Anya stormed into the kitchen and towards the fridge, opening it far more aggressively than what was needed. 

Both Griffin's turned towards Lexa with confused expressions as they waited to hear what was wrong with Anya.

"Oh... your sister told Ahn what happens at the end of Game of thrones and then made it seem like she was doing Anya a favour..." Lexa explained awkwardly.

Abby could feel her self control wavering as the fuse inside was getting shorter and shorter. The doctor downed the rest of her wine as Jake reluctantly made them leave the safety of the kitchen to save the rest of their household from Nia's frustrating behaviour.

As they entered the dining room, Lexa's ears quickly picked up as she heard the annoyance and hurt in her girlfriend's voice beaming from the living room as Jake held the door open with one hand, letting everyone through as he held Nia's cake in the other.

"You can't say things like that!" Clarke barked out at her aunt as Nia sat, completely unaffected. 

"What's going on?" Abby frowned as she took in the awkward atmosphere around her.

"It's nothing." Gustus waved his hand around and shook his head with the slightest bit of pink covering his cheeks. "Clarke, it's fine honey." The gruff guy patted Clarke's shoulder softly.

"No! She can't just -"

"All I said was that I didn't think it was appropriate for these people to be left alone in your house without supervision....I mean, come on! I know you don't have any items in this place that would be worth stealing but I'm not sure they'd be able to tell the difference anyway." Nia scanned down Gustus' outfit in disgust. "I'm just looking out for you Abigail...you're my sister and clearly kind hearted but you've already taken in this charity case." She gestured at Raven. "Do you really ne-" 

*SLAP!*

Nia's face swung to the side as Abby's hand now throbbed in pain.

"Enough!!!" Abby seethed. "You will not come into my home and start insulting the people inside!" The doctor shoved her sister who stumbled back in shock. " You are a vile, evil old woman who has never said an honest kind word to anyone in your life. No wonder Ontari is a nasty piece of work!"

Clarke casually stood and moved closer to Lexa as Gustus cleared away from his seat too, sensing Abby was moving Nia closer to the exit. Raven looked like she was ready to murder the older woman as she kept balling her fists while burning holes into the back of her as Anya tried to calm the girl down with a soothing hand placed, just under the back of her shirt.

"For the last 40 years you've pushed me around and made me feel so small...you never miss an opportunity to insult a member of my family because it makes you feel good...you get a sick pleasure from putting people down and I'm done with it!" She shoved Nia backwards again.

"You insult my husband and make jokes about his career..."

Jake coughed suddenly and waited.

"Oh and you have plenty of hair, honey." Abby smiled gently at her husband who nodded with a "damn right I do."

"You came here tonight and ruined a lovely evening with a group of wonderful people that my family hold dear. A group of people that are, in every way, _better_ than you...a group of people who have far more class than to fall down to your level of nastiness..." Abby shook her head in pity. "You are not my family Nia, not anymore." She moved closer, forcing Nia even closer to the door. "and if you EVER, talk about my daughter like that again." Abby gestured to Raven. " I will end your sorry ass!" Abby hissed, shoving Nia into the hallway. 

The rest of the Griffin's and Woods hurried to the doorway, not wanting to miss a moment.

"You and your daughter are no longer welcome in my house." Abby opened the front door and forced Nia onto the porch. "You can wait in your ridiculous limo and go to hell." The doctor slammed the door shut before Nia could respond and then stood there in the hallway shaking.

"Oh God! I can't believe I finally did that." Abby burst out in relieved tears as she laughed and trembled in the arms of the whole Griffin family.

Raven opened the living room window and stuck her head out so she could holla at Nia's retreating form. "Oh and tell Ontari to stop calling me! One night of passion is all she gets!" The Latina laughed to herself as Nia stared back at her in shock and revulsion.

Raven Reyes would never admit it out loud, but hearing Abigail Griffin call her 'daughter' was the best moment of her life.

(Being called 'jerk weasel' in her wife's wedding vows...well, that would eventually become a close second.) 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I kept the G.O.T spoilers out of the chapter incase any reader hasn't seen it yet! Please do the same. 😃
> 
> My family have always said cheese 😑 it was only recently that I've heard others saying it's pie! ( You people are wrong 👎 )
> 
> You may have noticed I've started tying up loose ends... o.O O.o ...  
> *Kicks a pebble and looks around shiftily* 
> 
> Summer can't last forever! 😖
> 
> Tumblr - hernightsky
> 
> ❤️


	18. Two Lessons Taught

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gustus has his first surf lesson. Lexa runs into Emori and teaches someone else a lesson. Clarke gets to second base. Innocent beach fun. Anya has news.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're nearly back in endless March again. 😲😲😲

* * *

_**Polis Beach** _

* * *

Thursday mornings were so peaceful on Polis beach, it was a fact. Whether it was because the weekend would soon be back or the fact that tourists preferred to sleep in on their vacations... Polis beach usually came alive after 10am but never on Thursdays...it was just one strange and wonderful fact.

Even the seagulls chilled out on a Thursday morning as they quietly sat on the golden sand, looking on into the distance...a few people were scattered along the beach, either reading a book on the steps or taking their dogs for a morning walk, but mostly, the beach was yet to be taken advantage of and that's how Jake knew it was the perfect morning to take Gustus out for a morning surf lesson.

Jake was a qualified teacher and knew exactly what part of the beach was safest at this time of the day for beginners. It was also a part of the beach that the experienced surfers knew to stay away from. Jake used this area alot to teach his lessons and Polis surfers knew and respected that enough to stay out of his way. 

Gustus had spent the first hour, learning the basics while still on land. (...Well, a decent percentage of that time, was spent wriggling around and pulling the tight wet suit out of his ass.) He learnt how to position himself on the board when paddling and the proper foot placement when standing. The hardest part was the 'pop up' (the transitioning from lying down on your stomach to getting up on your feet.) Gustus had the knees of a 90 year old and found it very difficult to spring up the way that Jake had shown him.

Luckily the many stretches that the surf instructor had forced him to do beforehand, stopped him from injuring himself through out the lesson and Gustus was starting to feel more confident to Jake's delight.

Gustus was now sitting on a large, soft-top surfboard in the water in waist high waves. Jake was instructing from the water as he found it easier to help the beginners, his own surfboard was close by, on the shore. 

"If this is surfing, Jakey. I think I'm a pro already." Gustus let out a husky laugh from his seated position as he dangled his legs into the water and quickly regretted his cockiness as he almost tipped himself over.

"You were saying??" Jake grinned as he helped steady the board. 

They had been in the water for twenty minutes and Gustus was having a wonderful time. Who knew the older guy would enjoy it as much as he loved fishing?!

"Remember, we are just getting you used to the board today. Small steps... don't worry though, I'll have you riding giant waves before you know it!" Jake gave a cheesy big grin and kept a hold of the board as his friend tried to steady himself once more.

" I'm not so sure about that bud, not even _you_ can perform miracles in less than a month." Gustus sighed as he looked out, over the crystal blue ocean and took a deep, peaceful breath.

Jake stopped in his tracks as if it had only just occurred to him that his new friend wasn't a Polis resident. "Oh...right. Damn, I forgot that you're on vacation." His stomach dropped a little as he thought about his daughter. "Clarke's going to be devastated once it's time to leave." his heart broke for her as he pictured the loved up couple saying their goodbyes to eachother.

"Yeah." Gustus nodded slowly, not turning away from the beautiful view Infront of him. "Believe me, it's been all I can think about lately." He turned to his friend. "Lexa's already lost so much... How can I tear her girlfriend away from her too?"

Jake patted Gustus on the back in sympathy. "We'll make sure that the girls get to see eachother as much as possible. It's only a few hours, right?" He smiled. "School breaks and a few weekends here and there... we'll make it work." Jake assured his new friend as more surfers were making their way towards the beach.

Gustus shuffled around uncomfortably on the board. "That might have to involve Clarke doing most of the traveling for awhile." He chuckled, slightly embarrassed. "We kinda put everything we had into this trip...I don't regret it one bit though, Lexa needed to get away and clearly it has done wonders for her mental health. It was the right decision." Gustus nodded to himself. "But right now, I don't know what we will be going home to... There hasn't been much of a winter the last few years so my job at the salt mine is on shaky ground...they've already started cutting back my hours and I'm not as young as most of the men there, Jake. I'll be the first out and then it's all on Anya's restaurant job until I find something else..." He looked down at the board underneath him, too ashamed to look at Jake. 

"We'll get Lexa to you as often as we can though." He smiled at the board while silently trying to figure out a way on how to have that exact same conversation with Lexa. God. It broke his heart just thinking about it.

Jake wanted to kick himself for forgetting that other families weren't as well off as his own. Having three businesses, and a wife on a doctor's salary meant that he didn't really need to worry about money. He felt like a spoilt rich kid in that moment and he wasn't okay with it.

"Hey, it's all good big guy." He gently punched Gustus' leg. "I promise you we'll sort everything out so that our two girls won't _even_ have time to miss eachother." Jake smiled warmly. "Plus I hear you have a lot of good fishing spots in Trigeda so you won't be able to get rid of me!" The surf instructor winked and then remembered as an after thought. "Oh...I guess Clarke can come, too." 

Gustus barked out a laugh and nearly flipped the board over again. Jake Griffin was a truly unique treasure.

A treasure that suddenly had the cogs working over time in his brain as he came up with a very interesting solution to a lot of their problems...

"Let's get you in the prone position on the board while I run some intriguing thoughts, by you." 

Gustus looked sceptical at both, Jake having intriguing thoughts and also about being able to lay on his stomach without falling head first into the water.

* * *

_**The Pier** _

* * *

As the afternoon arrived, so did the crowds of happy and excitable tourists. The pier was bustling with activity and ' **ICE NATION'** had already sold out of some of their most popular flavours. Luckily, Well's was a master at his job and could sell the strangest of flavours to the pickiest of customers. 

Though, there was always that one customer that liked to push their luck.

"Hmm, that was pretty gross." Emori"s face scrunched up in disgust as she tasted the remaining flavours of liquorice and blackcurrant off of her little wooden spoon. "I think I'll try the Turkish delight flavour next." The brunette smirked while tightening the dark grey scarf around her braided hair and readjusting the backpack that was hanging from one shoulder.

Well's stared at the girl in frustration for a moment while clearing away the _four,_ now empty taster cups that Emori had discarded on his counter since she had been there. He knew what she was doing...every now and then a customer would try to taste the entire menu and then decide they were too full to actually buy any ice cream. It was a good plan really...but Well's usually cut them off around their fifth cup and took a mental image of their faces incase they ever came back.

Emori smiled as her cup was now filled with half a scoop of ice cream in shades of light and dark pinks. Her face filled with pleasure and she let out a soft moan as the flavour hit her tongue. 

Well's cleared his throat and quickly turned away to hide the flush of embarrassment on his cheeks in hopes that Emori wouldn't notice and tease him... luckily she was too busy enjoying her free treat.

Once the cup was empty and back on his counter, Well's turned back towards the girl and started to tidy up. "Let me guess, you're done and you don't wanna buy anything?" He breathed out in a huff.

Emori chuckled. "You know what? I think I'm full." She grinned cheekily and bit down gently onto the little wooden spoon with a flirty glint in her eyes. "Thanks for letting me taste your goodies." She quipped loud enough for Lexa to hear, who happened to be walking down the pier and towards the souvenir stalls.

Both girls stopped in their tracks and looked slightly annoyed to see the other.

"Woods, what a pleasure." The smaller brunette greeted sarcastically as a breeze moved passed and pushed the scarf further off of her face, revealing more of the symbols tattooed around her left eye.

"Emori." Lexa gave a nod and then glanced around for the beautiful blonde that she was meeting up with. Lexa being Lexa had turned up a little too early and of course there were no signs of Clarke just yet.

Emori watched the girl scanning over the pier. "Looking for princess peach? Haven't seen her." Ontari's friend offered as she climbed up onto a bench and sat on the backrest. 

"Guess I'm early." Lexa mumbled softly and shoved her hands into the back pockets of her black shorts. She looked over at Emori, curiously. "Waiting for your friends?" she asked cautiously while dreading the answer and knowing she'd have to make her escape with Clarke, quickly before Ontari shows up.

"waiting for that dumbass security guard to leave so I can put my shit back where it belongs." Emori huffed in annoyance as she followed the security guards movements with her eyes and tugged on her backpack strap to heave it up her back.

Lexa's brows furrowed at Emori's words and then she turned to watch the security guard checking the piers storage huts with a flashlight and radio in hand.

"Wait, are you sleeping in one of them??" The brunette asked in shock as she scanned over the group of small huts that were up against the wall of the piers seafood restaurant.

Emori shrugged. "Better than staying in a foster home." she defended. "Safer too." Emori subconsciously ran a hand over her bruised ribs as she spoke and glanced back at the huts to see if the security guard was gone yet. "It's quiet and also comfortable because they keep extra lounge chairs in there...the vending machine next to the bait shop is broken so I can easily smack down free snacks." Emori started to laugh as a memory came back. "I think I pretty much scared the crap out of Clarke's dad a couple of nights ago. He probably things his shop is haunted or something." 

Lexa was starting to get really concerned as she watched the skinny girl mess with a hole in her black t-shirt.. "But how do you afford the essential things? You may get free snacks but they can't fill you up and they don't make vending machines that give out personal hygiene products as far as I know." She asked as she started to think about how much loose change she had in her shirt pockets right now that she could hand over.

Emori smiled and pointed towards the arcade. "That place is a gold mine. You wouldn't believe how much money gets lost on their floor every single day." She snorted at the carelessness of tourists. People are so focused on giving their money away to machines that hardly ever pay out, they never notice or care when random coins fall out of their pockets...The amount of coins that fall out of machines when nobody is playing on them....I've made a fortune just by wandering around and clearing out discarded games." She smirked, pretty impressed with herself.

Lexa frowned and started to dig into her back pocket.

"Hey!" Emori stood up on the bench with a warning glare directed at the brunette. "If you're about to shove your money at me in pity, then you can stop right now." She huffed. "Did you not just hear me?? I probably have more cash on me right now than you do, so save it or find some homeless people to give it to. I'm fine." The smaller brunette made sure she knew her words were _final_ on the matter and stepped her way off of the bench. 

Lexa put her hands up in defence and stepped back a little. "I didn't mean anything by it I -"

"Oh look. Two street rats together." Finn interrupted as he continued to towel his hair off with a smug grin on his face. Atom was close behind as always. Both boys wearing only their boardshorts as water still dripped down their bodies from their morning spent surfing the biggest waves.

Lexa rolled her eyes but decided to ignore the comment whereas Emori was still worked up and defensive. " You got a problem dick face?!" The smaller brunette charged confidently towards Finn who laughed.

Lexa grabbed the girl by the waist and pulled her back. Emori winced at the pain from her bruised side and glowered at the girl before turning back to Finn with a death glare in place.

"Is this a date?" Finn tilted his head in amusement. " Gotta say this match makes a lot more sense... No idea what Clarke was thinking letting herself be seen with a loser like you." Finn turned to share a smile with his buddy and threw his towel over his shoulder.

"Shut the fuck up about Clarke." Lexa snapped back angrily at the boy with the ridiculous floppy hair... Maybe if he grows it long enough, it'll cover his disgusting face, Lexa mused to herself to calm her heart rate back down.

"No. Seriously, Clarke's a total babe...she can have any guy she wants..." 

"And does." Atom quipped with a smirk that made Finn bark out a laugh and smack his buddy on the back in favour of his immature comment.

Lexa made a lunge for the boy but this time it was Emori's turn to hold _her_ back. The smaller brunette shook her head and mumbled. "They're not worth it." Under her breath.

Finn and Atom were laughing so hard they were almost in tears as Lexa felt her insides starting to burn with rage. How fucking dare they talk about someone so special like that...Lexa started to breathe heavily under Emori's tight grip.

"Speaking of things that don't belong together...we saw your uncle this morning trying to float on a surfboard." Finn struggled to get the words out around a hysterical laugh. "Man, it was the fucking funniest thing I've ever seen..."

Emori turned back towards Lexa as she felt how heavily the taller girl was breathing, under her grip. The look on Lexa's face....she was ready to explode. One tiny little push is all it would take...

Atom did a bad impression of Gustus wobbling about in the water which made Finn laugh even harder.

"Fucking whale on a surfboard." Finn spat out.

That was it...that was the final straw.

Lexa broke free from Emori's grip and punched Finn square in the jaw, making him stumble backwards in pain. "You vile piece of shit! Don't you _ever_ fucking talk about my family or girlfriend ever again!" The brunette kept re-balling her hands into tight fists, leaving her knuckles cracking as she walked towards the boy, threateningly.

Atom almost laughed out of shock but that was quickly replaced by fear as Emori's fist came flying at him and knocked the skinny boy to the ground.

"Hey! What the hell is going on over there!" The security guard shouted in the far distance as he noticed the fight taking place.

Emori quickly grabbed a hold of Lexa's arm and started to pull her away. "Time to go!" She took off at speed towards her hideaway, dragging a raging Lexa behind her.

* * *

Clarke was late. She was always late, but when you live by the beach, everything is still and peaceful...you couldn't rush around even if your legs wanted to...it was against the beach code. Everyone had to be relaxed and care free and that meant walking at a snails pace and just enjoying the ocean vibes. It was the law...well, it was Clarke's law, anyway.

The blonde was casually strolling along the beach front without a care in the world. Her toes were toasty and warm as she chose to walk barefooted along the sun drenched sand, her sunglasses rested on top of her blonde wavy locks allowing her to feel the sun beaming down over her eyelids as she took every opportunity she could to close her eyes and breathe in deeply. Clarke was in heaven. 

The beach was finally busy and sunbathers had taken up one half of it. The other half of the beach had a rather adorable game of softball being played by tiny little kids who were being cheered on by proud parents. 

Clarke had stopped to watch for a little while but the temptation to squeeze all of the chubby little cheeks was getting too strong and the last thing the seventeen year old wanted to think about was babies and starting a family. That being said... Lexa would look so cute holding a...No! Stop. Too young... Clarke shook her head out of her thoughts and then beamed as a black Labrador raced out of the sea to come and say hi.

The dog playfully pounced up and placed his front paws onto Clarke as his tongue rolled out happily to the side. The blonde chuckled at the soggy fluff ball and started to talk in the voice that was specifically used just for dogs. "Heeeey boy!" She scratched over his wet ears. "Aren't you so gorgeous. Yes you areee." She chuckled again as his tail wagged like crazy at the attention. The dog was actually kind of heavy and Clarke had to steady herself a little as he placed more weight on her. 

The dogs owner was a guy in his early twenties who had stayed in the water and was watching the scene with a smile, getting ready to shout his dog back over if his attention wasn't wanted.

Of course it was.

Clarke really didn't care that the dog was dripping all over her T-shirt and denim shorts, he was just too damn cute!

After a few more moments of ear scratches, the dog had finally had his fill and had jumped back down on to all fours. He also took that moment to shake off, after his dip in the sea and sprayed the blonde in a shower of tiny droplets. Clarke screeched and tried to cover her face but it was too late.

She could hear the guy laughing and by the time she moved her hands away, the dog had returned to his owner. The twenty something guy, smiled and apologised, feeling super guilty but Clarke waved it off with a laugh because she was totally fine with it. 

Well she _was_ totally fine with it... until she looked down at herself and saw two _very_ visible wet paw prints right over her chest. "Oh God." Clarke groaned and huffed out a laugh. It didn't occur to her when the dog was leaning against her, that the dog had wet paws and that they were right on her chest. Sureee, he was heavy and pressing into her but nothing else crossed her mind at the time other than the usual dog lover thoughts...'look at those nommable ears!' 'I wanna smooch all over that cute little nose.' Clarke sighed to herself as she strolled closer to the pier and pulled at her light grey t-shirt that was now sporting two dark grey paw prints right over her tits. Great.

At least Raven wasn't around to tease her. Thank God for small mercies, right?

* * *

Once the security guard had given up looking for the two girls who had left a pair of bloodied, whimpering idiots on his usually tidy boardwalk, Lexa had stealthily made her way back to the area that she was meeting her girlfriend at. 

Finn and Atom were no longer around and were probably off somewhere licking their wounds and feeling embarrassed about having their asses handed to them by two girls. Lexa couldn't help but chuckle at the thought. 

The brunette hated losing her temper though, but she was definitely a _Woods_ girl...all the women in her family were feisty and short tempered. Anya especially. The _Woods_ women were always strong and knew their own minds. Lexa's mother was born to be a leader...she was headstrong and confident and everyone looked up to her... Lexa's father loved her so much, he didn't give a damn that she didn't want to take his name...she was a _Woods,_ through and through and that's the wonderful woman he fell for. It was never even a conversation, Lexa was always going to have that surname.

The brunette broke out of her thoughts just in time to see her gorgeous blonde, maneuvering her way through the crowds and heading in her direction. Lexa took a deep breath and smiled to herself as a wave of nervous butterflies filled her stomach as they always did when Clarke Griffin was close by. 

The blonde seemed to light up the second her eyes caught sight of the brunette in her open, light blue shirt, white vest top and black shorts. Lexa looked fucking hot with her long wavy hair, blowing about in the warm breeze and Clarke's mouth went dry from falling open in pure thirst for the girl.

Lexa perked the closer Clarke got and grinned like a goofy idiot the second the gorgeous girl was Infront of her. "Hey gorgeous, you loo-" the brunettes eyes darted straight down towards Clarke's wet chest, forgetting entirely what she was half way through saying.

Clarke barked out a laugh at the stunned expression on her girlfriends face and gave the girls arm a squeeze to get her attention. "Sorry I'm late, I took part in a wet t-shirt competition and lost track of time." She joked with a teasing wink and place a soft kiss on Lexa's lips.

The brunette just couldn't find it in herself to look anywhere else but at the large wet marks that covered her girlfriends breasts. The poor girl was only human after all. "Um hm?" she managed to mumble out... smooth.

"Lexxxx." Clarke half laughed and half whined through her disbelief that the brunette could be that fascinated in her breasts even though they were pretty magnificent and now also wet....okay. Fair enough. Clarke gave in and cupped her girlfriends chin, lifting it so their eyes could meet. "It's nice to see you too." She quipped sarcastically and rolled her eyes, unable to stop the smile breaking free on her face.

Lexa shook her head and cleared her throat. "Right. Yes, sorry Clarke." The brunette pulled her girlfriend into her arms and placed soft kisses against her neck. "I missed you." she whispered into blonde waves and inhaled Clarke's scent before pulling back. 

Clarke quickly pecked Lexa's lips again as she pulled back and took Lexa's hand in her own. "I missed you too baby. I hope I didn't leave you waiting here too long." The blonde asked, feeling a little guilty before frowning as she felt the rough, raw skin on Lexa's knuckles.

Clarke raised Lexa's hand and aimed it towards the sun to get a better look at it and gasped quietly as the red, broken skin came into view. "Lex, what the hell??" The blondes expression dropped into concern and sadness as she carefully pulled the brunettes hand to her lips.

"Oh. It's nothing I promise, I just got into it with Finn a little." Lexa shrugged and tried to play it down to stop her girlfriend from worrying. 

Clarke's head darted back up with even more concern on her face. "A little?? Lex, your knuckles are split...how can it be 'a little' if it ended in a fist fight!" The blonde argued in frustration and ran a hand through her hair, almost knocking her sunglasses down.

"Clarke, it's okay I swear." Lexa tried again, calmly and moved closer to the girl, cautiously grabbing for her hand and then sighing in relief as she never attempted to pull it back. "Finn and that loser he hangs out with, were being dicks and saying some nasty things about our relationship and about my family and I just lost it..." The brunettes eyes started to turn soft and puppy like. (The Griffin weakness.) 

"Atom was there too?? Lex, you need to be careful." Clarke stressed. "I know you can take care of yourself but there's two of them and who knows how far they'd go if you got them really angry." Just the thought had Clarke's heart racing with worry and she clinged to Lexa's hand tighter.

" I wasn't alone, Emori was there too and she easily knocked Atom"s skinny ass to the ground." The brunette chuckled and couldn't help the smirk that appeared on her lips at the memory.

Clarke's brows furrowed. "You were with Emori and she punched someone out for you??" The blonde was starting to feel like she was stuck in the middle of a very bizarre dream. "Are you two buddies now??" Clarke asked sceptically and watched as her girlfriend shrugged shyly.

"I don't know. I mean, I don't think so?" Lexa frowned defensively with a cute little pout. "She certainly wouldn't think so, anyway. She always looks annoyed whenever she sees me...We just keep running into eachother I guess." Lexa shrugged again. 

"How could anyone be annoyed at seeing those sparkling green eyes and those gorgeous pouty lips." Clarke pouted as she spoke while squishing Lexa's cheeks together with one hand.

The brunette grumbled as she pulled back and started to rub the weird sensation out of her now tingling face.

The blonde chuckled and tangled her fingers up in Lexa's. "Just be careful okay?" Clarke pleaded softly then smiled as Lexa gave a single nod in return.

"Good! So what do you want to do now, gorgeous?" Clarke bounced slightly with excitement and then melted as Lexa quickly pulled her into her arms and buried her face into her neck, seductively running her soft lips along bare skin as she spoke. "I can think of a few things." 

* * *

_**Polis Beach** _

* * *

Clarke groaned and pulled the clingy wet material of her shirt, away from her body for the third time in a matter of minutes as it was starting to feel uncomfortable against her skin. The blonde mumbled something in disgust and then let the material go once more in defeat with a sulk.

Lexa was extremely focused on smoothing out the side of her sandcastle but couldn't help glancing her girlfriends way once she heard the pitiful whine that escaped the blondes soft pink lips. The brunette looked down once more at the big wet paw prints that covered Clarke's chest and smirked a little before turning back towards her sandcastle. "If you're having an affair with Aquaman, now would be the time to tell me." Lexa tried to keep a serious face as she spoke but a little grin, crept through anyway.

Clarke scowled at her girlfriend but there was no bad feeling behind it. "Very funny gorgeous." She deadpanned and looked at the adorable amount of concentration that was on Lexa's face as she carefully made arrow slits into her sand towers. "You know, building sandcastles wasn't exactly what I thought you had in mind, when you said you could think of a few things to do this afternoon..." Clarke raised a brow suggestively but it was lost on her girlfriend who had moved on to smoothing out her castles battlements with her index finger.

"Hm?" Lexa offered as a response, while tilting her head to the side to get a better look at a wonky wall that looked ready to collapse.

"Leeex." Clarke whined and chuckled pitifully at being ignored, causing her to throw a clump of wet sand towards her girlfriend that happened to land a little too close, towards Lexa's second tower and made the brunette gasp and look at Clarke with betrayal in her eyes.

Clarke shot her girlfriend an apologetic smile between fits of giggles and then collapsed backwards onto her elbows in defeat, deciding she may as well catch some sun if Lexa was going to be spending the afternoon being innocent and cute.

"It's the beach. Clarke. I can't come to the beach and not build _one_ sandcastle..." Lexa looked at her girlfriend as if the very idea was madness. "My dad used to build the greatest sandcastles." The brunettes face lit up as she spoke. "I was pretty small at the time so they probably weren't even that big or impressive, but to me, they seemed to go on for miles and miles and looked like a tiny city made up of sand." Lexa paused in her movements with a giant smile covering her face and it was clear to Clarke that her girlfriend was lost in a happy memory that meant the world to her.

"He'd let me decorate them with shells and pebbles and we'd dig the moats together and watch the water run through it." Lexa chuckled and placed some pebbles at the drawbridge. "My mom just left us to it, she'd usually go shopping because she knew we'd be on the beach for hours at a time." The brunette finally glanced at Clarke and saw the look of pure love and emotion, welling up in her eyes. 

That brought Lexa fully back to the present and she cleared her throat shyly. "Sandcastles are a _must_ Clarke." The brunette pointed her little red plastic spade at the blonde.

Clarke chuckled and sat back up, still smiling lovingly at her girlfriend as she got back to work. "Thank you for sharing that with me Lex. I wish I could have known you back then...we could've spent so many summers playing on the beach together and your dad could've taught my dad how to build proper sandcastles." She chuckled. "The guy can make surfboards yet mixing sand and water together is too difficult for the man." Clarke shook her head at the memories.

"Well it _is_ a skill Clarke." The brunette gestured to her impressively built sand sculpture and grinned proudly. 

A little Jack Russell terrier came over at that moment and excitedly jumped all around the girls. Lexa squeaked and immediately threw herself over her creation in a panic, guarding her castle with her life.

Clarke couldn't control her laughter at seeing the look of pure terror on Lexa's face. The dog took the brunettes behaviour as a game and started climbing at her legs as she tried her hardest not to crush her sandcastle below, with her body. "Clarkeee help, the dog is tickling my legs! I'm gonna fall." Lexa whined out as she wobbled about on shaky hands and knees.

The blonde pulled herself together enough to quickly scan the beach for the dogs owner and once she saw an older gentleman in the distance, trying to get the little dogs attention, Clarke carefully picked up the little guy and encouraged him to run in his owners direction.

"Oh man, I nearly wet myself! That was hilarious." The blonde continued to laugh as she wiped the sand off of Lexa's back and gave her ass a little smack while she was at it.

"That was not funny Clarke, I could've been killed." Lexa mumbled dramatically which only made Clarke laugh harder.

Lexa sat back on her heels and checked over her sandcastle, breathing a sigh of relief as it remained in one piece.

"I can't believe you bought these." Clarke couldn't hide her grin as she held up Lexa's little blue bucket and little red spade that were clearly made for tiny children.

"I'm building sandcastles Clarke, not digging a grave or....you know, whatever big buckets are used for." Lexa justified and carefully took her spade back out of Clarke's hand with an adorable pout.

The blonde melted instantly and lifted Lexa's chin to place a soft kiss on her lips. "Okay baby. Well I think your masterpiece is attracting some attention." Clarke smiled then gave a little nod in the direction of a family who were sitting close by, and had two little boys who looked like they were itching to use Lexa's castle as a headquarters for their plastic superhero dolls.

Lexa perked and looked _even_ more proud of herself as her castle got the attention it deserved. "Well..." The brunette started, as she spoke loudly enough for close-by tiny ears, while standing and swiping the remaining sand off of her clothes. "I'd say this mighty fine castle is now complete and ready to defend Polis against it's dastardly enemies!" Lexa stood in the classic superhero pose. "Now if only I could find some superheroes to protect this mighty kingdom..." The brunette pretended to think about it while subtly glancing at the little boys who were practically jumping around in their seats and waving their plastic figures around.

Lexa beamed and gasped dramatically. "Do you boys think you could protect Polis for me??"

The smallest of the boys squealed in excitement as he nodded frantically as the other little boy had already begun racing over to the sandcastle. Lexa laughed at their enthusiasm and gave a nod to the parents who were smiling at her in gratitude.

Lexa finally walked back to Clarke and what she saw in the blondes eyes, had her blushing. "Holy fuck." Clarke whisper shouted as she pulled Lexa closer so she could whisper into her heated ear. "How dare you be so fucking adorable when I'm only seventeen." The blonde gently bit Lexa's red earlobe. "I'm now broody as hell and I want your babies, Woods!" Clarke whined around a laugh and teasingly ran her nails up the back of Lexa's vest top. "You're so hot and now my body feels like it's on fire." Lexa could feel Clarke's hot breath against her neck as she spoke and it was making her mouth go dry.

She knew that Clarke was getting worked up...she was too but then an idea dropped into her mind and she just couldn't stop herself... it was an innocent day full of innocent childlike activities after all...

"I'm sure I could help with the heat..." Lexa spoke seductively and ran her lips softly against Clarke's neck, placing a gentle kiss at the base. "If you want?" She asked quietly.

Clarke closed her eyes for a second and whimpered slightly, nodding her head against Lexa's.

Lexa pulled back ever so slightly and gave her own single nod as she held eye contact with needy blue orbs.

The brunette quickly moved forward and heaved Clarke up into a firemans lift which had the blonde squealing in suprise and clinging on for dear life. "Lexxx! What the hell?? No...no. Don't you dare..." Clarke started to realise what was happening as Lexa started a slow jog in the direction of the sea. "Lexaaa I swear I'll...LEXXXAA!!" The blonde shrieked as Lexa dive bombed them into the water, causing a huge splash and soaking them head to toe.

Clarke looked ready to kill as she clumsily stood back up and wiped the soaked blonde locks off of her face.

It didn't help that Lexa was still floating in the water in hysterics. "You said your body was overheating...I was doing my duty as your girlfriend and helping!" The brunette risked a smile and then moved to a more apologetic expression as Clarke remained unimpressed.

"At least your shirt is all one colour again?" Lexa offered, cheekily. That's right dumbass...make it worse... She thought to herself a moment too late.

Clarke tried to remain pissed but Lexa was just too fucking adorable. A smile turned into an exhausted groan as she threw herself back into the water and straddled Lexa's waist. "You're too fucking adorable all I want to do is kiss you. It's so frustrating." The blonde huffed in annoyance, pulling Lexa into a deep passionate kiss before the brunette could say anything else. She kept her lips on Lexa's for the longest time before muttering again.

"You owe me some new sunglasses, dumbass."

* * *

_**Polis Beachside Caravan Park** _

* * *

Lexa was flying high as she strolled back towards her caravan, the big dopey smile had yet to leave her face as she replayed all of the fun she had on the sand with her beautiful blonde. Clarke Griffin was a goddess... Even when drenched in sea water. A fact that Lexa had made sure to tell the blonde over and over again while kissing the grumpiness off of her soggy, make up stained face.

The door to the caravan was open and hooked to the wall, so Lexa could hear the sounds of the TV playing in the background along with the voices of her uncle and cousin. She plonked herself down on the veranda steps and used her hands to swipe off the remaining sand from her feet. The birds were happily chirping in the trees above and Lexa grinned goofily as a friendly robin, made his way out of a bush to grab one of the pieces of bread that Anya had scattered into the garden earlier that morning. 

Everything about today was perfect and Lexa was full of the joys of summer.

She picked herself up off the stairs and entered the doorway.

" - so check that it's actually possible. Okay?"

"Yep. I got it dad, don't worry."

Anya and Gustus turned towards Lexa as she walked through the door, the smile on Lexa's face was quickly replaced with a frown as both Gus and Anya fell silent now that she was in the room.

"What's wrong?" The brunette asked cautiously and instinctively grabbed a hold of the chair in front of her for support.

Gustus looked up at Anya from his seat on the couch as Anya turned towards her cousin with a careful smile and awkwardly shoved both hands into her back pockets. "Val just called... She can't cover my shifts at the restaurant any longer...she needs me back so I have to head home, squirt." Anya smiled sadly.

Lexa's heart sunk and her eyes filled with sadness as the realisation that she was only on vacation, came and hit her straight in the gut...

Summer would soon be ending.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't go Anyaaa 😭  
> It won't be the last time we see Anya I promise!  
> She still has a full day left in Polis, also. 
> 
> Clarke's moment with the dog, totally happened to me a couple of years ago 😑 I was happily minding my own business on the beach and a gorgeous wet lab pounced me for cuddles which I was happy to give! 💞 Then he shook off the water spraying me and I was left with wet paw prints over my chest! ..... unfortunately I wasn't on my way to meet Lexa though. 😢
> 
> It still amuses me that I'm writing a summer story in minus degree weather! ❄️😰
> 
> Sweet dreams if you're off to bed! 
> 
> Tumblr - hernightsky  
> ❤️


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